I love making food that people appreciate – food that makes the whole table go quiet the first time you eat it. But do you know what I love more? Creating food that makes the entire table scream like kids chasing an ice cream truck.
So, when I found the “secret Jell-O” recipe at Chef Hillary Sterling’s new cookbook, Ammaza! – Title for a Roman slang term, roughly translated as “Wow!” – I knew I had to share.
“It was the defining experience of my childhood,” says Hillary. Growing up, her grandmother Anne always kept a bowl of Jell-O in the fridge. “He added the halved grapes, and when ‘jellified’ they began to hover in the middle.’ It tasted so cool, fresh and delicious.” As adults, Hillary and her sister tried to replicate it, but could never get the taste right. Then his grandfather told him about Grandma Anne’s secret ingredient: sweet wine. “Turns out, our favorite childhood dessert was one part grandma, one part frat party.”
Hillary’s own adaptation is a little more cocktail-party than frat, but just as festive: a ruby-red dessert, studded with plums and served in a champagne coupe. Plus, it’s incredibly simple, with an active cooking time of less than 10 minutes. And while I’ll give Grandma Anne the benefit of the doubt, and say Perhaps I wasn’t trying to get my grandkids drunk, this recipe has about a shot’s worth of brandy per serving (wow, really!). So, let’s maybe keep it at the adults’ table.
Grandma Anne’s Secret Jell-O
From Ammaza! by Hilary Sterling
Serves 4
1/2 cup (115 grams) plums*
3/4 cup (180 ml) brandy
1 85-gram package cherry gelatin
*It’s true, plums are dried plums. Here, they are essentially rehydrated In the cooking process.
In a small pot, combine the plums and 1/2 cup (120 ml) brandy. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook until plums have absorbed all the liquid (about 5 minutes). Cancel. In a separate small saucepan, bring 1 cup (240 ml) of water to a boil. Place the gelatin in a heatproof bowl, then pour hot water over it, stirring until completely dissolved (about 2 minutes). Add the remaining 1/4 cup (60 ml) brandy and 1 cup (240 ml) of cold water.
Divide half of the gelatin mixture evenly among four glasses, filling them about halfway. (“It’s time to break out your heirloom wine glasses or Champagne coupes,” says Hilary. “Style and presentation were everything to my grandmother.”) Arrange the glasses on a small sheet pan for stability. Refrigerate, uncovered, until set (about 1 hour).
Finally, divide the diced plums evenly among the glasses, gently placing them on top of the set layer. Pour remaining gelatin over the top of each glass – the fruit will “float” as they set. Cover and refrigerate until cool, but still pliable when shaken (about 1 hour more). Serve and enjoy!
thank you so much, Hillary! and congratulations your beautiful cookbook.
PS More fun party dishes, including messy pavlova and pasta Cake.
(Photos by kelly pullio. Excerpted with permission Ammaza!On sale now from Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Copyright © 2026 by Hilary Sterling)
