Vietnamese Coffee Jello

It's the perfect time for an All-American dessert, so I threw together a little something I saw here, which borrowed the picture from here, which got the recipe here. Apparently Vietnamese coffee is mixed with sweetened condensed milk (what a fine idea!), and the Food Librarian was genius enough to jello-ize it. It's easy and fast to prepare-- a welcome change.

So, first you make strong coffee and dissolve some unflavored gelatin in it. I used four teaspoons of instant coffee in two cups hot water, and that wasn't nearly strong enough; I would at least double that amount. (I know nothing about making coffee because I prefer tea for all my hot-caffeine-drink needs. I only have instant on hand because it's so great in recipes.)




Sweetened condensed milk is just the greatest stuff. I want to use it more recipes now. You pour a whole can in there:




And stir it all in.




Pour it into a pan:




It's soft set after about two hours, but to cut it in neat cubes you'll probably want longer than that so it'll really firm up.




Then just enjoy the mysterious gleaming cubes of goodness!




I think it calls for whipped cream, but do as you feel led.



Want to know the best fireworks display I ever saw? It was the year I was driving from San Diego to Los Angeles on July 4 in the evening. There are dozens of cities on the way, and in each one I could see little private fireworks shows (legal or not). I also passed some big shows (Disneyland's is incredible). Two hours of watching my fellow Americans celebrate in neighborhood after neighborhood. :) Happy Fourth of July!