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Aspic Jelly (without Meat)
4 cups cold water 2 tablespoons each, malt, tarragon and chili vinegar Rind of half a lemon 10 peppercorns 1 tablespoon carrot, minced 1 tablespoon turnip, minced 1 tablespoon onion, minced 1 stalk celery 1 teaspoon salt 2 sprigs parsley 1 box gelatine 1 cup cold water Whites and shells of two eggs Put all the ingredients, except the gelatine and egg, into a stew pan. Put over the fire until it boils. Soak the gelatine in one cup of cold water for 5 minutes. Pour the boiling broth over the soaked gelatine, add egg and beat slightly. Heat the broth a few minutes after adding egg and crushed shells; remove from the fire, let stand for 30 minutes, strain through flannel. Mold in wet bread pan, and serve in slices with mineral oil mayonnaise.
A meatless clarified aspic from the era when a molded, sliceable jelly was the centrepiece of a ladies' luncheon. The whole thing hinges on the clarification, so treat the egg step gently.
- Skip the mineral oil mayonnaiseMineral oil turns up in reducing-diet cookery of this period as a calorie-free stand-in for salad oil. It is a laxative, not a food: it interferes with absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and carries an aspiration risk. Serve the aspic with an ordinary mayonnaise or vinaigrette instead.
- "1 box gelatine"A grocery box of granulated gelatine at this date generally held about an ounce (roughly 28 g), commonly put up in quarter-ounce envelopes, though sizes varied by brand. That is a firm set for the five-odd cups of liquid here, which is what you want in something meant to be turned out of a bread pan and cut into slices.
- Chili and tarragon vinegarBoth were flavoured vinegars steeped at home or bought bottled. Tarragon vinegar is still sold; for the chili vinegar, steep a dried red chili or two in plain cider vinegar for a few days, or use a splash of cider vinegar with a pinch of cayenne. Malt vinegar is unchanged.
- The egg raftAdd the beaten whites and crushed shells to hot but not violently boiling liquid, then let it come up gently and do not stir once the raft forms. A hard boil breaks the coagulated egg apart and the jelly goes cloudy, which defeats the purpose of the whole exercise.
- StrainingFlannel was the standard clarifying cloth. A double layer of damp muslin or a jelly bag set in a sieve does the same job. Let it drip; squeezing pushes fine sediment through.
- Lemon rindPare only the yellow zest with no white pith, and pull it out with the strain. Left in longer it turns the jelly bitter.
- Molding and unmoldingRinse the pan with cold water and do not dry it, as the film of water is what lets the jelly slide out. A standard 8 x 4 in loaf pan holds the quantity. Chill at least 4 hours, better overnight, then dip the pan briefly in warm water before turning out.
- YieldAbout 5 cups, giving 8 to 10 slices — enough for a light course for four to six, or a garnish for a cold platter. Diced rather than sliced, it also serves as the glassy trim around a cold mousse.