Strawberry Salad Glace aka Strawberry Jello Mold

So, we've had the first spat among the chefs...all this over a jello mold. This is what happens when you try to steal someone else's recipes, particularly if that person is your mother. First of all, I'm told, its not a jello mold, it's a Strawberry Salad Glace. Secondly, great cooks love to use the words around and more or less so translating this into a viable recipe can be an excruciating situation. But I persevered because easy strawberry jello molds are the perfect way to add color and taste to a holiday lunch or a buffet.

Growing up, I remember that my mother and aunts would spend hours (even days) planning their holiday menus with great care. More often than not, they would include an easy strawberry jello mold or aspic. These were easy to prepare, colorful, added an attractive element to the holiday table, and were tasty to boot!

When I entertain, particularly on holidays, I often imitate the meals I remember as a kid. Although my style of entertaining may be different from that of my mother and aunts, when it comes to Easter Sunday, I'll often take their cue and include a jello mold.

Here is my mother's and my favorite, easy to prepare, strawberry jello mold recipe, aka Strawberry Salad Glace.

This recipe serves 6-8 people. Double it for 12

Ingredients

1 6 oz pkg. strawberry jello
1 lg. pkg. fresh strawberries sliced (Save some whole for garnish)*
4 oz cream cheese
1 2.50 oz pkg. of walnuts, crushed very fine
Miracle Whip
Mint for garnish
A gelatin mold with a whole in the middle

Prepare gelatin according to directions, dissolving in 2 C boiling water and stirring 2 minutes until dissolved. Stir in 2 Cups of water. Cool. Make small balls of cream cheese and roll them in the crushed walnuts. Oil the mold and pour half the jello into the mold. Add some of the sliced strawberries and some of the cream cheese balls, spacing them slightly. Put the mold in the refrigerator. When the jello is almost set, take out, pour the rest of the gelatin into the mold and add the rest of the strawberry slices and cheese balls. Place back in the refrigerator to set completely. This can be made the day ahead. If you are transporting the mold to another house, I would wait and unmold it there. Before you serve, adorn the center with whole strawberries and place a few dollops of the Miracle Whip around the plate, alternating with whole strawberries and mint leaves.

*you can use frozen strawberries in the off season

Cook's Note

The above picture is not the real picture as I have not made this in years. I will post the actual picture after we make it on Friday