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Raspberry Cream, Solid
1069. Take full half a pound of raspberry jelly or jam, with the seeds taken out; whisk quickly three-quarters of a pint of rich cream, to which has been added the juice of a lemon. The jam must be sweetened with sifted lump-sugar, and may be coloured with a very little cochineal; three-quarters of an ounce of "extract of calves' feet," or gelatine, must be previously dissolved in rather less than a quarter of a pint of water, and added to the cream at last. It must be put into the mould as soon as it begins to set. If required to be kept, it should be put into a crockery mould, that the colour may be preserved.
A moulded whipped-cream jelly of the sort that closed a Victorian dinner. The hinge is temperature: the dissolved gelatine must be warm but not hot when it goes into the whipped cream, and the mixture must be moulded the moment it starts to thicken.
- VolumesThree-quarters of an imperial pint of cream is about 15 fl oz, or just under 2 US cups. "Rather less than a quarter of a pint" of water for the gelatine is roughly 4 fl oz.
- Extract of calves' feetThis was a commercial preparation of clarified calf's-foot gelatine. Powdered or leaf gelatine is the direct substitute, as the recipe itself allows.
- Gelatine quantityThree-quarters of an ounce is about 21 g, or roughly three standard envelopes of powder, to something over a pint and a quarter of total mixture. That is a firm, sliceable set, which is what "solid" means here.
- Bloom, then warmSprinkle the gelatine over the cold water, let it swell, then warm it gently until clear. Do not let it boil, and let it cool to about blood heat before it meets the cream, or it will melt the whipped volume out of the mixture.
- Seedless jamHalf a pound of raspberry jam pushed through a fine sieve gives roughly a cup of seedless pulp. Warm the jam slightly first and it will pass much more easily.
- Lump sugar"Sifted lump-sugar" is loaf sugar crushed and sieved, equivalent to caster or superfine sugar. Sweeten the sieved jam to taste; commercial jam usually needs none.
- CochinealThe colouring is optional; the recipe says the jam "may be coloured with a very little cochineal". Cochineal (carmine) is still sold, though it is an insect-derived dye; a drop of beetroot juice or nothing at all serves as well.
- Lemon juice and creamAcid added to cream before whipping thickens it fast, so whisk only to soft peaks or it will turn grainy. Fold the jam in, then the gelatine, working quickly.
- Moulding and turning outA 1.5-pint mould rinsed with cold water is right. Chill at least four hours; dip the mould briefly in warm water to release. The note about a crockery mould reflects a real problem with old tin and copper moulds, which discoloured fruit mixtures.
- YieldServes six to eight as a dessert course.