Jellied Carrot Salad

A straightforward gelatin salad of the sort that anchored ladies' luncheons for half a century. The only real risks are a mold that never sets and one that tastes like syrup.

• The box of jelloSmall packages of flavored gelatin ran about 3 oz then as now, with a 6 oz large size. Use one 3 oz box. Note that the recipe pushes the liquid well past the 2 cups a small box is designed to set.
• Liquid ratio, the hingeOne cup boiling water plus 1.5 cups juice, plus the syrup clinging to a can of crushed pineapple, is roughly 3 cups of liquid for a 3 oz box. It will be soft to the point of collapse. Drain the crushed pineapple thoroughly and cut the pineapple juice to 1 cup, or use a 6 oz box.
• Fresh pineapple will ruin itCanned pineapple is heat-treated, which destroys the bromelain that digests gelatin. Fresh or frozen pineapple, or unpasteurized juice, will leave you with sweet soup no matter how long it chills.
• The sugar is optional nowHalf a cup of sugar on top of already-sweetened gelatin and sweet pineapple reflects a period taste for very sweet salads. It can be cut to a tablespoon or omitted to modern taste.
• Grate the carrot fineUse the small holes of a box grater or the fine shred disc. Coarse carrot sinks and tastes raw against the pineapple.
• Adding the solidsChill the gelatin mixture until it is the consistency of unbeaten egg white before folding in pineapple and carrot, otherwise both settle to the bottom and you get a striped mold rather than a suspended one.
• Chilling timeNo time is given. Allow at least 4 hours in a 6-cup ring or loaf mold, or overnight; unmold by dipping the mold briefly in warm water.
• Salad dressingIn this period "salad dressing" on a fruit gelatin means boiled dressing or mayonnaise, often thinned with cream. Plain mayonnaise or a spoonful of whipped cream folded into mayonnaise is the closest thing to the intended effect.
• YieldAbout 8 servings on lettuce as a salad course.