Lime Fruit Dessert is a combination of tinned fruit cocktail, lime jelly, and cream. It's a lot more refined than the sum of its parts and is a refreshing fruity change for a pudding in colder weather. It's quite quick to make, and it appeals to all ages.

Lime fruit dessert in a cut glass goblet, It stands on a small plate patterned with flowers., with a fruit spoon, on a pink tablecloth. — Lime Fruit Dessert

Lime Fruit Dessert was a feature of winter family celebrations when I was a teenager, although we called it Gourd's Paradise - named by one of my cousins (no-one knows why). When there's less fresh fruit around a tin is a good option and makes a nice change from cooked fruit puddings.

I'm not particularly keen on fruit cocktail but I love it in this dessert. Adding some cream to the lime jelly mellows the flavour and means that Lime Fruit Dessert is far more sophisticated than children's party food.

You can make this in individual sundae glasses or in a single bowl.

If you're entertaining it can be made the day before and produced from the fridge at the last minute. You could also go to the trouble of whipping up a bit more cream and piping rosettes on the top for a special occasion but, for a family meal, I'm afraid that I don't bother.

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Recipe

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Lime Fruit Dessert

Lime Fruit Dessert is a creamy lime jelly with fruit cocktail. Easy to make for an everyday dinner or a buffet table, as it appeals to all ages

Prep Time25

Chilling Time4

Total Time4 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Servings: servings

Author: Susie@Everyday Cooks

Ingredients

800 g canned fruit cocktail in fruit juice, 2 large tins
1 lime jelly
200 ml double cream

Equipment

1.5 litre serving bowl - a cut-glass bowl is ideal

Instructions

Drain the fruit cocktail and keep the juice
Tear the jelly into cubes and put in a measuring jug (at least 500ml size). Add 100ml boiling water to the jelly and stir until dissolved
You may need to stand the jug in a bowl of very hot water to ensure the jelly dissolves. If necessary add some of the fruit juice
Once the jelly cubes have dissolved, make up the jelly to 450ml using the saved fruit juice
Leave to cool until the jelly is the consistency of unwhisked egg white
Stand the jelly in cold water to speed up the cooling. You could put it in the fridge but you must keep looking to make sure it doesn't get too set)
Beat the cream until it is only a slightly thicker consistency than the jelly
Lightly mix the cream into the jelly. Add the drained fruit and mix through
Pour into the serving bowl and chill for at least 4 hours
Cover with a lid or clingwrap so that nothing falls into your beautiful dessert.

Notes

Lime Fruit Dessert can be made the day before you need it and kept in the fridge. It will keep for at least 3 days (or as long as the best-before date on the cream)