This mosaic jello uses gelatina de leche as a base in which colorful cubes of three other gelatin flavors are suspended. If you’re having a birthday party, use small cups instead of a baking dish for individually portioned treats!

　　

Ingredients

Serves 16-20

　　3 (6 ounce) packages flavored gelatin dessert of your choice

　　6 cups boiling water

　　4 tablespoons unflavored gelatin (from about 6 packets)

　　3 cups whole milk

　　1 (4-inch) stick Mexican cinnamon, broken in half

　　1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

　　2 cups half-and-half

　　1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract

　　

Step 1

Lightly coat three 8-inch square pans and one 9 × 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

　　

Step 2

In three separate bowls, mix each package of flavored gelatin with 2 cups boiling water. Pour each into its own greased square pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

　　

Step 3

After the jellos have been in the fridge for 30 minutes, make the milk gelatin. In a 3-quart saucepan, mix the gelatin into 1 cup water. Set aside for about 5 minutes so the gelatin can bloom. Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir occasionally until the gelatin has dissolved. Add the whole milk and heat to just under a simmer. Add the cinnamon stick, remove from the heat, and let the mixture steep for 30 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Remove the cinnamon stick and whisk in the condensed milk, half-and- half, and vanilla extract. Set aside while you prep the colored gelatins.

　　

Step 5

Remove the colored gelatins from the refrigerator and cut each flavor into 1-inch cubes. Evenly spread out and mix each flavor in the 9 × 13-inch pan. Pour the milk jello over the cubes.

　　

Step 6

Refrigerate until set and firm, 2 to 3 hours.

　　

Step 7

When you’re ready to serve, invert the gelatina onto a cutting board, cut into 3- to 4-inch cubes, and place on a serving platter.

　　Reprinted from Chicano Eats: Recipes from My Mexican-American Kitchen. Copyright © 2020 by Esteban Castillo. Photographs copyright © 2020 by Esteban Castillo. Published by Harper Design, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers. Buy the full book from Amazon.