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Ham Salad
Soak half a tablespoonful of granulated gelatine in one tablespoonful and a half of cold water, and dissolve in three-fourths a cup of hot chicken liquor. Strain over one cup of chopped ham and stir until the mixture begins to thicken, then fold in one cup of thick cream beaten stiff; add, also, a few grains of paprica and salt, if needed. Mould in a ring mould, and, when set and cold, turn from the mould; fill in the centre with lettuce arranged like a cup, and fill the cup with mayonnaise. Or, serve with French dressing.
A gelatine mousse of the kind that filled the salad chapters of American cookbooks around 1900. The whole thing turns on catching the gelatine at the right moment: fold in the cream too early and it sinks, too late and the ham sets in lumps.
- The hinge — when to foldStir the ham mixture over a bowl of ice water until it thickens to the consistency of raw egg white, then fold in the cream at once. If it has begun to set in ribbons it is past the point; warm it briefly and start the cooling again.
- Granulated gelatineHalf a tablespoonful is roughly 1½ teaspoons, close to two-thirds of a standard ¼-oz envelope. Measure rather than rounding up. Soaking in cold water first is blooming, and it is not optional.
- Chicken liquorThe strained broth from poaching a fowl. Unsalted or low-sodium chicken stock stands in; taste before adding salt, since the ham brings plenty of its own.
- Thick creamHeavy cream, about 36% fat, is the modern equivalent; lighter whipping cream will not hold as stiffly. Beat it stiff but stop short of grainy — an over-beaten cream will not fold smoothly into a setting gelatine.
- The hamOne cup of chopped cooked ham, minced fine rather than diced, or the mousse will not slice cleanly. Boiled or baked ham both work; a heavily smoked country ham will overwhelm the cream.
- PapricaThe period spelling of paprika. A sweet paprika is the likely intention; smoked Spanish pimentón, uncommon in American kitchens of the period, changes the dish considerably.
- Mould and setting timeA 3- to 4-cup ring mould is right for this quantity. Allow at least four hours in the refrigerator, and dip the mould in warm water for a few seconds to unmould. It serves four to six as a first course.
- Keeping it coldCream, gelatine and cooked ham together are a good medium for bacteria. Chill it fully and do not leave it standing on a buffet for more than two hours.
Moulded salads bound with granulated gelatine were a mark of an up-to-date kitchen at the turn of the twentieth century. Commercially prepared granulated gelatine was displacing the tedious business of boiling down calves' feet or clarifying isinglass, and cookery writers seized on it: anything that could be chopped could now be suspended in a ring and turned out whole. The dish also solves a practical problem — what to do with the last of a boiled ham and the liquor left from poaching a fowl — while presenting the result as something composed rather than salvaged. The lettuce cup filled with mayonnaise at the centre is period table decoration, and the alternative of French dressing at the end suggests the author knew that a whipped-cream mousse dressed with more emulsion was a rich proposition.