Prism Jelly

I was born and raised in Utah and the only food more debatably Utahan than Funeral Potatoes is gelatin. (Fun facts: in 2001 Utah name the official state snack: Jell-o. Utahans eat more Jell-o per capita than any other state and are well known for their Green Jell-o salad featuring crushed pineapple.)

This particular gelatin recipe is known in my family to have been developed by one of my aunts and has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember.

Prism Jelly is one of two recipes so important to me that I photographed it from my mother’s hand-written cookbook and have kept that photo in my phone for decades. The recipe itself is likely well known in some form or another amongst families in Utah. Despite mine missing some formal steps in the hand-written description it is still easy to reproduce.

Not only is this recipe easy, but it is also extremely affordable, flexible, delicious, and popular at gatherings of any type: office potlucks, birthday parties, holiday events, weddings, funerals. The only setback is that it is time-consuming to make, but if you have the time, it is absolutely worth the effort.

Before I digress too much, let’s emphasize right here, right now, what makes this recipe so important: rainbows.

Rainbows hold an infinite amount of symbolism within many different cultures. The Bifrost Bridge connected the kingdom of the gods to the land of men. A man called Noah was given the rainbow as a symbol that gods would cease killing all of humanity in one go. Leprechauns hide their gold at the end of the rainbow. If you jump over Prende’s belt in Albania, you can change your birth gender. During (or after) death you can reach a Dzogchen state of rainbow body. The Aboriginees of Australia believe the rainbow itself is a living serpent god.

Post-apartheid South Africa was described by Nelson Mandela as the rainbow nation. Rainbow flags have been used as symbols of peace by early century Germans and Italians. It was adopted by the Pride community to symbolize diversity, equality, and inclusion of the human spectrum.

Even Kermit the Frog sang to us about a Rainbow Connection.

Okay, okay, a (very) brief history of rainbows over: let’s get on to the good stuff.

My mother was the oldest child in a family of six girls. My grandmother, in her ever homemaking genius, gave each of her girls a color to keep them organized. Labeling their lunches, organizing their school equipment, and purchasing rainbow easter dresses for each. The kind of cute thing a good mom might do for fun.

When you think about it, in essence, this recipe isn’t just a family tradition, it is literally representative of the family that shares it. Each layer has its own unique flavor, pressed and bonded together, to create one cohesive family unit dish.

Imagine, if you will, spending an afternoon with your family at a summer barbeque. Your parents and siblings gathered around a gingham tablecloth chatting about current events and family history. Children laugh and play in the background. You push aside the remnants of a ravaged chicken bone, sauce smearing across the disposable paper plate, and press your spoon into a firm layer of gelatin. You watch it jiggle as you bring up through the midsummer sun. The light refracts its golden beam through the colored-glasslike layers before you envelope the treat in your mouth. Like a handful of skittles, you can taste each layer rolling up into a mixed fruit basket of pleasure that melts against your tastebuds. Maybe you use your tongue to squish it through your teeth or maybe you use your tongue to attempt to pry apart a blue and green layer just to see if you can do it. When you succeed you can feel each unique flavor dance against opposite sides of your cheeks. It's sweet and it's smooth and its childish and it's nostalgic and it is there for you when you need it.

Mary Red

The first color of the rainbow. The color of passion, love, and courage.

Best potential flavors: Cherry, Raspberry, Strawberry

Emily Orange

The second color of the rainbow. The color of optimism, enthusiasm, and creativity.

Best potential flavors: Orange, Peach, Mango

Nancy Yellow

The third color of the rainbow. The color of happiness, energy, and hope.

Best potential flavors: Lemon, Island Pineapple, Apricot

Margaret Green

The fourth color of the rainbow. The color of nature, growth, and harmony.

Best potential flavors: Lime, Green Apple

Karen Blue

The fifth color of the rainbow. The color of tranquility, trust, and protection.

Best potential flavors: Berry Blue, Blue Raspberry

Janet Purple

The sixth color of the rainbow. The color of royalty, power, and mystery.

Best potential flavors: Grape, Wild Berry

What you’ll Need:

3-quart baking dish (minimum)

2 Bowls

Measuring Cups/Spoons

Whisk

Ingredients:

6 – 3oz boxes of gelatin (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple)

2 Cups of Yogurt (Recommend: Vanilla)

Water

Whipped Cream (Optional)

Preparation Time: 6+ Hours

Directions:

1 – Starting with your first color of gelatin, separate the powder in two equal parts in two separate bowls.

2 – In the first half of the gelatin pour ½ cup of boiling water.

3 – Whisk for two minutes until completely dissolved.

4 – Add 1/3 cup of cold yogurt and whisk until combined.

5 – Pour mixture into baking dish and spread evenly. (Mixture will be thin.)

6 – Put in fridge and let set (roughly 30 minutes.)

7 – Once set, start with the second half of the gelatin and pour ½ cup of boiling water.

8 – Whisk for two minutes until completely dissolved.

9 – Add 3 Tablespoons of cold water and whisk until slightly cooled. (Too hot and it will melt the first layer.)

10 – Pour mixture gently over first portion and let set in fridge (roughly 30 minutes.)

11 – Repeat steps 1-10 with each color of gelatin.

12 – Serve with whip cream topping. Enjoy!

Note and Protips:

Flavors of gelatin may vary as well as flavors of yogurt. You may use different flavors of yogurt to match the different flavors of gelatin. For a truly traditional recipe use the following gelatin flavors: lime, lemon, orange, peach, cherry, black berry.

Avoid watermelon flavoring at all cost! (Because it’s gross.)

Many traditional Utah gelatin recipes call for added fruit (bananas, strawberries, pineapple, etc,) marshmallows, tapioca, vegetables (shredded carrots or celery,) or cat food (yes, I said cat food and, yes, I have tried it.) However, this recipe should be maintained without any add-ins.

Oh, and get a couple movies ready. Maybe something you love or something new you've been looking forward to. You're going to need to pause a couple times, but make a night of it. It's fun.