Daedra Heart
“I may have a deal we could work out. I need a Daedra’s Heart. Jarl wants me to cool his new sword in blood.”
-Moth gro-Bagol, Understone Keep (Skyrim)
If you’re looking for a recipe to astound at a Halloween party next weekend, or just looking to appease the Daedric Prince Malacanth, this jelly is sure to cause a commotion wherever it shows up. Gin, Tonic, and Fresh berries lead in with their natural flavors and colourful pop to bring one of the goriest alchemical ingredients in the Elder Scrolls to life. The end result is a visually enchanting edible cocktail that will keep your friends talking for days.
The basis for this recipe is a combination of the classic Gin and Tonic, and the Gin and Jam Cocktails. The recipe itself doesn’t add any sugar to the jelly mold (aside from what occurs in the Jam) to allow the natural botanicals of the gin and the bitterness of the quinine in the tonic to come forward, complemented but not overpowered by the natural sweetness of the berries. If you want something sweeter to serve, you can add up to three tablespoons of granulated sugar without affecting the setting ability of the recipe.
Notes about your ingredients:
- Tonic Water: Just about any will do, I’ve always been happy with Fever-Tree’s tonic.
- Kanten, or Agar Agar: I use Kanten, which is a Japanese product that’s very similar to Agar. If you can’t find Kanten at your local Japanese market, Agar will do in a pinch. And if you can’t find Agar, you can substitute the same quantity of unflavored Gelatine. The nice thing about Agar or Kanten is that they’re actually vegan-friendly, if you want to serve your Daedra Heart to someone with dietary restrictions.
- Gin: Use your favorite Gin for this recipe, but if you’re not a Gin fan you can substitute in the same amount of your preferred Vodka, or any other clear spirit. If you’re looking for a Gin suggestion, I live and die by Suntory Roku Gin.
- Strawberry Jelly: You’ll want a jelly rather than preserves with large pieces of strawberry in them. I use my homemade strawberry jelly from my Grammy’s recipe, and unlike my Grammy I’ll share the secret with you: It’s the same strawberry freezer jelly recipe that comes packaged with Certo Sure Jell Liquid Pectin, the secret is in using a food processor to puree the strawberries. If that sounds like a lot of work to you, grab whatever you have on hand. This is a surprisingly versatile recipe.
- Heart Mold: I bought this heart mold from Amazon. While the recipe is certainly no longer a Daedra Heart if you don’t have a heart mold, if you’re interested in the recipe for the recipe’s sake, any 14 fl oz mold or bowl will do. If you do use the heart mold, pick a bowl in advance that will keep it upright in the refrigerator while your jelly sets overnight.
To begin, dice the five strawberries into 1/4 inch pieces. Add the diced strawberries and raspberries to a small mixing bowl and mash together with a fork. The mixture should be a little chunky, not a fine puree. Add three tablespoons of strawberry jelly to the mixture and stir to combine. Reserve 1/2 cup of this sauce in an airtight container and add one teaspoon of sugar, stir and set aside in the refrigerator.
Add one stick of kanten (or agar) to the tonic water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the mixture has come to a boil, stir in the remaining berry mixture and turn off the heat. Set the pan aside to cool for 2-3 minutes. While the pan is cooling, grease your jelly mold: use either vegetable oil and a paper towel, or non-stick spray. Once the mixture is just warm and no longer hot, stir in the gin and pour into your mold, which should be placed into a bowl or vessel to keep it upright. Put the mold, uncovered, in the refrigerator overnight.
The next morning, overturn your mold onto a plate and allow it to sit at room temperature for five minutes. As the jelly warms slightly, it will likely pop out of the mold on its own. If it does not after five minutes, you can gently go over the edges will a dull butter knife, taking care to not cut into the jelly.
Serve with the berry sauce poured over the top for extra gore factor. This recipe will serve 2-4 Alchemists comfortably, but can easily be doubled or tripled to serve more.
Daedra Heart
A gin and jam tonic jelly inspired by the Elder Scrolls.
Ingredients
-One 6.8oz bottle of Tonic-3.5oz Gin
-6oz Fresh Raspberries
-5 Medium Strawberries
-3 Tbs Strawberry Jelly
-1 Stick (or measured 4g) Kanten or Agar
-1 tsp Granulated Sugar
Directions
- Gather your ingredients.
- Dice strawberries into 1/4 in pieces. Combine with raspberries in a small mixing bowl and mash roughly with a fork. Add strawberry jelly and stir to combine. Reserve 1/2 cup of berry mixture and combine with 1 tsp sugar, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Heat tonic and kanten in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until lightly boiling. Stir in remaining berry mixture and turn off heat. Set aside to cool for five minutes.
- Grease jelly mold with vegetable oil or nonstick spray and place inside a bowl for stability.
- Once jelly mixture is no longer hot to the touch, add gin and stir. Pour mixture into jelly mold and store in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 6 hours to fully set.
- Overturn jelly mold onto a plate and allow to sit for five minutes to reach room temperature. If jelly does not lift out of the mold on its own, gently run a dull butter knife around the edges to loosen it. Serve with reserved berry sauce poured over the top.
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