Penn & Teller Dessert
Submitted by lura
Penn & Teller dessert is a theatrical bleeding Jell-O mold for Halloween: thick red gelatin and whipped topping hiding a bag of fake blood that gushes when you cut in. A gory, show-stopping party prank dessert.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
0 minREADY
120 minThis one isn’t really about flavor, it’s about the gasp. A Halloween party trick disguised as a wobbly red Jell-O mold, with a gruesome secret hidden inside.
The base is straightforward: red gelatin (strawberry or cherry) made extra firm with double or triple the usual mix, then folded with whipped topping for an opaque, blood-red dome. The firmer set matters, since the whole thing gets flipped and sliced later.
The gag is a clean plastic bag of fake blood, Karo corn syrup tinted dark with red wine or grape juice, tucked into the center of the mold before it chills. You want it semi-thick and opaque, eerily close to the real thing.
Once set, decorate it innocently with chocolate glaze and a couple of strawberries. Then carry it out with a big knife and cut deep into the side, slicing the hidden bag wide so it ‘bleeds’ across the plate to your guests’ horror.
Pro Tips
- Use two to three times the normal Jell-O mix so it sets firm enough to unmold and slice without collapsing.
- Make sure the bag is spotless inside and out and sealed well, so the ‘blood’ only escapes when you cut.
- Fill the mold so the gelatin and bag together sit level, since it gets flipped before serving.
- Keep the syrup mixture dark and opaque. Thin or see-through ‘blood’ breaks the illusion.
Variations
- Use grape juice instead of wine to keep it kid-friendly for a class party.
- Try a different red flavor like raspberry or pomegranate gelatin.
- Mold it into a brain or organ shape for extra gore.
Ingredients
Directions
Okay, start off by making some Jell-O, preferably strawberry or cherry or some other flavor that’s naturally red.
But, use two to three times as much Jell-O mix as you normally would, to thicken up the consistency.
After this is mixed, stir in some cool whip, and pour it into your favorite standard party mold (the dome kind would be good).
Get a CLEAN plastic bag (inside and out) and place in it some Karo syrup.
Now add something like a very dark red wine, or grape juice.
What you want is a semi-thick VERY dark red (opaque) liquid which looks not unlike blood.
Starting to get the picture yet? Okay, now place this bag in the mold, so that the bag is still floating on top.
Keep in mind that you want the Jell-O plus the bag to completely fill the mold, but have a level surface, as this thing is going to flip over later on.
Put it in the fridge, and allow it to chill and set.
When you take it out of the refrigerator, you should decorate it a little.
Try drizeling some chocolate glaze on top and poping a couple of strawberries or cherries on top of this.
Allow to set if necessary, and then bring it out to your dinner guests.
At this point, your dinner guests will probably be oo’ing and ah’ing over this rather nice dessert you’ve brought out to them.
Make sure you’ve got that big pointy butcher knife in one hand as you set this beauty down on the table.
Now you get to play Norman Bates: cut into the side of this, making sure you go deep enough to cut into the bag real wide.
As you continue to cut out a piece of the geltin mold, the bag will leak into this, and your bewildered guests will think your dessert is BLEEDING.
Not to disappoint them, cut out one of these bloody pieces of geletin and plop it down on a plate.
If you’re lucky, it will look like a recently-extracted body organ.
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