Mix Evaporated Milk And Jell-O Together For An Old School Dessert You'll Love

In the world of vintage no-bake desserts, instant Jell-O reigns supreme. Even as it fell from grace as a convenient, elegant way to showcase leftovers following World War II (jellied veal loaf, anyone?), it quickly began to bounce back as a fun, tasty, ingredient in old school recipes like 7 Up salad. This combination of instant lime-flavored Jell-O powder, 7 Up soda, and fluffy whipped cream was a welcome sight on many a dessert plate throughout the 1960s and '70s, with variations of this recipe still enjoying popularity in various regions of the United States.

However, the U.S. was far from the only country to put a tasty spin on this jiggly childhood favorite. In 1964, Jell-O made its global debut, migrating out of America to practically every other continent, including Australia. Called "jelly packets" down under, the Aussies lost no time in adapting these fruity gelatin powders into their own nostalgic dessert: a delightfully creamy mousse called "flummery."

Like most other Jell-O based desserts, the ingredients and method are fairly simple, inexpensive, and carried in most grocery stores. In fact, flummery only requires two main ingredients — Jell-O instant powder and a 12-ounce can of evaporated milk. Evaporated milk is simply regular dairy milk with about 40% of the water cooked off to create a thicker, richer consistency. When whipped to airy perfection and blended with partially set Jell-O, it becomes the creamy secret to creating a dessert that tastes more sophisticated than the sum of its parts.

The first faux pas to avoid when making your first flummery is to make sure you use evaporated milk and not sweetened condensed milk. Though sweetened condensed and evaporated milk are similar in texture and consistency, evaporated milk contains no added sugar, which is ideal for this recipe since the jelly packets are already sweetened. Sweetened condensed milk would make things overly sweet.

The second mistake to watch out for is allowing your Jell-O to set completely. You'll still need to dissolve the powder in boiling water, per package instructions, but will only need to chill it long enough so that it's cool, but still liquid, allowing you to smoothly blend your ingredients together for a velvety consistency. If you'd like an ultra-rich dessert, replace the evaporated milk with heavy whipping cream beaten to soft peaks. Just be sure to chill your dairy overnight to help it whip properly.

Though raspberry flummery is a fan-favorite, you can use any instant Jell-O flavor, deepening flavors with a few drops of extract. Create strawberry or orange creamsicle flummery with the right jelly packet and vanilla extract or combine lime Jell-O with coconut extract for a refreshingly tropical dessert. You can also add a dash of flavored liqueur or gin to flummery saved for an adults-only gathering, serving it in elegant coup glasses. Plus, if you have any leftovers (unlikely), flummery is perfect for layering over cubed pound cake in a trifle or enjoying with vanilla ice cream.