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Cider Jelly
One box of gelatine dissolved in one pint of water; add one pint of boiling water, one quart of cider, one pint of granulated sugar, the grated rind and juice of two lemons; let stand on the stove and simmer (not boil). Strain through a cloth dipped in cold water.
— Mrs. H. P. Pettengill
A community-cookbook gelatin dessert that assumes a cook already knows how gelatine behaves. Two things need translating: the box, and the word cider.
- One box of gelatineA boxed package of granulated gelatine at this date was commonly around an ounce, roughly four modern quarter-ounce envelopes (about 4 tablespoons), though box sizes were not standardised. Bloom it in the first pint of cold water for five minutes before the boiling water goes in.
- Cider means sweet ciderFresh unfermented apple cider, the cloudy pressed kind, not the clear filtered juice and not hard cider. Hard cider will work, but the alcohol may give a slacker set.
- Simmer, not boilThis is the hinge. Gelatine loses setting power when held at a rolling boil, and the lemon juice and cider acid speed that breakdown. Warm the mixture only until the sugar and gelatine are fully dissolved and no grains remain on a spoon back.
- The set will be softThe set -- an ounce of gelatine against the two quarts of liquid here is close to the usual moulding proportion, though the sugar and the acid of cider and lemon will soften it somewhat. If it does not unmould cleanly, use a little more gelatine next time.
- A pint of sugarMeasured by volume: 2 cups granulated, about 14 ounces. Cider varieties differ widely in sweetness, so taste the warm liquid before straining and hold back some sugar if it needs it.
- Straining through a wet clothA cloth wrung out in cold water will not soak up your jelly. Use doubled cheesecloth or a jelly bag, let it drip rather than squeezing, and the jelly stays clear.
- ChillingPour into a mould or bowl and refrigerate at least six hours, overnight for a mould. To turn out, dip the mould in warm water for a few seconds only.
- YieldSomething over two quarts, serving ten to twelve. Whipped cream or a plain custard sauce would not be out of place.
Cider jelly of this kind belongs to the moment when packaged granulated gelatine became a pantry staple. Earlier cooks made jellies by boiling calf's feet or isinglass for hours and clarifying the result with egg white, a job serious enough that a clear jelly signalled an ambitious kitchen; by the 1890s a boxed powder did the same work in minutes, and moulded jellies spread rapidly through American community cookbooks. That the flavouring here is cider rather than wine or sherry points to apple country, where fresh sweet cider was the cheap seasonal liquid every household had in autumn. The lemon rind and juice do double duty, sharpening the apple and adding a bright citrus note alongside cider's own acidity. The attribution to Mrs. H. P. Pettengill is typical of the "Village Receipts" format, in which a church or ladies' aid society collected dishes under contributors' married names.