Jello Recipes
Bilberry Mousse Recipe with Grape Jello
This light and refreshing bilberry mousse is made with grape jello, cream and fresh bilberries. You can also use thawed bilberries. In fact, if you cannot find bilberries, try blueberries instead. Bilberries are a close relative of blueberries. They grow in Canada, northern Europe and Britain, as well as the United States. Bilberries look like small blueberries. Blueberries are a greenish yellow color inside with an herby, mild flavor. Bilberries are dark outside and inside and they have a flavor like wine. A lot of people have never heard of them, which is a shame because they are so good for cooking with.
You can cook with bilberries, as well as using them in desserts like this mousse recipe. Blueberries go gluey and insipid when you cook them but bilberries do not, which is why desserts like hot bilberry pie are popular. Bilberries are not in season all through the year so you might not be able to find them. Thawed bilberries are fine if you can find those, else use blueberries to make this delicious and healthy jello dessert recipe instead.
One bilberry benefit is that they can be used to make herbal extracts for the treatment of kidney stones, blood clots, diarrhea, and urinary tract infections. If you have heard about the dangers of bilberry, these just apply if you have diabetes. Bilberry lowers blood sugar so it is not suitable to eat in conjunction with diabetes medication, else it could boost the medication effects, which you do not want. Bilberry juice is sold as a health remedy and the following recipe makes use of this juicy fruit for a tasty summer dessert.
Gorgeous Grape and Bilberry Mousse
Ingredients -
3 oz package grape jello
2 cups ice cubes
⅔ cup boiling water
1 cup bilberries
10 oz Cool Whip
Preparation:
Add the boiling water to the jello and stir it until the jello powder dissolves, and then add the ice cubes.
Stir the jello until it starts to thicken, then remove any undissolved ice cubes.
Add 8 oz of the Cool Whip and blend well.
Puree all but 4 of the bilberries and add this mixture to the mousse.
Mix well, and then pour the mousse into 4 serving glasses.
Chill it for an hour, and then decorate with the rest of the Cool Whip and a bilberry.
(Serves 4)
Photo Description:
This simple yet elegant bilberry mousse recipe is nice after any kind of meal. Bilberries taste like wine, which is why grape jello is used for this tasty dessert. You could use blueberry jello instead but that will change the color of the mousse and make it more blue and less purple. Perhaps you have tried bilberry juice or bilberry flavored candy before. The taste is a little like wine. Bilberries have a slightly sharp flavor, like cranberries or redcurrants. This is a great jello recipe for someone who does not like overly sweet flavors but enjoys fruit flavored desserts, especially healthy ones like this one.
Benefits and Dangers of Bilberry
Bilberries are rich in antioxidants and they are a popular food for forest animals, birds, and hikers. The fruit and the leaves of bilberry are been used for many years as a home remedy for many different disorders. The dangers of bilberry only apply if you suffer from diabetes because the leaves of this fruit lower blood sugar and affect a liver process and are therefore incompatible with diabetes medication. The fruit of the bilberry is beneficial for diabetes sufferers however. The main compound found in bilberries is called "anthocyanidin" and this flavonoid helps to prevent blood clots and therefore reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks. This compound helps to improve the blood circulation and build strong capillaries.
More Reasons to Eat Bilberries
If you eat bilberry depression and eye problems might also be helped. There is a link between bilberries and depression and also between bilberries and eye disorders. Macular degeneration causes failing eyesight in older people and bilberry juice or bilberry supplements are believed to help with this disease. The macula is a part of the rear of the eye, which lets you sharply focus. The anthocyanidins in bilberries increase the production of a pigment, which helps with night vision and also helps the eye adjust to changes of lighting. Cataracts are also improved by taking bilberry preparations.
The tannins in bilberry are thought to relieve diarrhea and they also have anti-inflammatory properties. Extracts of bilberry are thought to relieve diabetes-related extremity tingling, by stimulating the blood vessels into releasing a substance that expands the arteries and veins. You can get bilberry juice and bilberry supplements or you can use fresh or frozen bilberries to make recipes with. Bilberries freeze really well so if you harvest some in the summer you can store them and use them throughout the year to make all your favorite bilberry recipes. Bilberries can be used to make jellies and jams as well as a natural fruit dye.
