Heston Blumenthal, The Guardian, 26 October, 2002
Kir Royale jelly
This is interesting because it manages to keep the bubbles in the jelly itself. My friend, the chemist Len Fisher, devised the clever technique of preserving the bubbles more than in a regular champagne jelly. The crème de cassis and sugar seem to reduce the volatility of the champagne.
750ml Champagne or sparkling wine
100ml crème de cassis
7 gelatine leaves
150g sugar
Well before you start making this, put six to eight champagne flutes in the freezer. Soften the gelatine leaves in cold water. Pour out about 75ml of the champagne into a small pan. Immediately seal the bottle. Add the sugar and crème de cassis to the champagne in the pan, and gently heat. Remove and squeeze the softened gelatine leaves, then add to the mix and stir until dissolved. On no account let the liquid come anywhere near the boil. As soon as everything is dissolved, remove from the heat and set aside. Remove the glasses from the freezer, and divide the mix between them. Immediately pour reserved champagne over the mix, then freeze the glasses for one hour. After this time, remove from the freezer and store in the fridge until ready to serve
Heston Blumenthal is chef/proprietor at The Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire.