Creamy Mandarin Mousse

Open and drain Mandarin orange slices in a colander. In a measuring cup, add the cold orange juice and unflavored gelatin. Stir to dissolve.

In a medium size bowl, add boiling water, orange and lemon flavored gelatin, and stir until completely dissolved. Add to the orange juice/gelatin mixture.

For quick chilling, submerge the bowl of gelatin mixture in a large bowl of ice water for 10-15 minutes until almost jelled.

In the meantime, using a hand mixer, beat heavy cream until firm peaks form; set it aside. In another small bowl, cream together softened Philadelphia cream cheese and sugar.

Combine jelled orange juice mixture and cream cheese and whisk until uniform in color. Gently fold in whipped cream, then Mandarin orange slices (reserving some for garnish).

Pour into a trifle dish or any pretty, small, individual glass dishes. Cover and refrigerate until firm; time will vary depending on the size of the container you use (35 minutes to several hours). Can be made up to two days ahead. When ready to serve, top with extra whipped cream and reserved Mandarin orange slices and serve.

Note: For a video recipe tutorial, see my blog.