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Calves'-Feet Jelly
Boil 2 calves' feet in 4 quarts of water for five hours; then strain the liquor through a hair sieve, and the next day take off all the fat. Whisk the whites and shells of three eggs in a stewpan; then put in the jelly, and add a small piece of cinnamon, the thin peel of 2 lemons and the juice of 3, with about 6 or 7 ounces of loaf sugar. Put the stewpan on a brisk fire, and whisk its contents till on the eve of boiling; then remove the stewpan, cover it closely, and let it remain near the fire for fifteen minutes, taking care not to allow the jelly to boil. Pass it through the bag in the usual way. If wine be desired, it will be better to add it the moment before the jelly is passed through the bag.
A classic invalid-cookery jelly, made by boiling gelatin out of calves' feet and clarifying it with egg white. Everything depends on the clarification stage, which must never reach a boil.
- The hinge: no boiling after the eggs go inWhisk until the surface just trembles and a raft of coagulated egg white forms on top, then pull the pan off the heat. A boil breaks the raft apart and drives the cloudy particles back into the liquid, and no amount of straining will recover clarity.
- Calves' feetSold by halal and Latin American butchers, often split, and by some Italian butchers as piedini. Two feet will weigh somewhere in the region of 3 lb, though weights vary. Ask for them split, and scald and scrub them before the long boil. Powdered gelatin does the same job but tends to produce a thinner-tasting jelly.
- The five-hour boilIn practice a bare simmer rather than a rolling boil. The recipe gives no target volume, but the 4 quarts should reduce considerably over five hours to a strong stock. If a spoonful cooled on a saucer does not set firm, reduce further before you clarify.
- Chilling and degreasingRefrigerate overnight rather than leaving it in a cool larder. The fat sets to a firm white cap that lifts off in one piece; wipe the surface with a cloth wrung out in hot water to take the last film.
- Loaf sugarLoaf or lump sugar was refined cane, cut from a cone. Ordinary granulated sugar is the equivalent; 6 to 7 ounces is about 1 cup, on the sweet side for a modern palate.
- Shells as well as whitesThe crushed shells give the egg raft something to cling to. Wash the shells before crushing them, since the outside of an egg is the part most likely to carry bacteria.
- "The bag" and "the usual way"A jelly bag is a tall conical flannel or muslin bag, scalded first and hung over a bowl. Pour the whole panful in, raft and all, and let it drip without squeezing or pressing; the egg raft itself acts as the filter. Passing it a second time through the same bag gives a brighter result.
- Wine at the last momentSherry or Madeira was a common choice, an ounce or two. Added earlier, while the jelly is still hot, much of the aroma would be driven off; that may be why the original holds it back.
- Yield and settingExpect roughly 1 to 1.5 quarts, enough for six to eight small moulds or glasses. Chill at least four hours; unmould by dipping the mould briefly in warm water.