No. 3182

Russian Jelly

Gelee a la Russe

Make about a quart of unflavored jelly (No. 106); set it on ice to get thoroughly cold, add to it as much champagne, beating continuously until the preparation has the appearance of a cream; as soon as it begins to acquire consistency pour it at once into a jelly mold (Fig. 154) previously incrusted in slightly salted ice; set the cover on top, then cover over with salted ice. Let it freeze for half an hour, and when ready to serve dip the mold quickly in hot water, wipe it off, and invert the jelly on a cold dish.

← No. 3181 Rose Jelly Cold Entremets — Creams, Jellies & Charlottes No. 3183 Strawberry or Raspberry Jelly →

For the Modern Kitchen

Ranhofer's champagne jelly is a whisked jelly — closer to a frozen mousse than to a clear moulded jelly — and everything depends on the temperature of the base when the wine goes in.

The hinge: work coldThe recipe says only to set the jelly on ice until thoroughly cold; in practice that means cold and beginning to thicken, but not yet firm, before the champagne goes in. Jelly that is still warm is unlikely to beat up into a cream, and jelly that has already set will tend to break into lumps.
"No. 106" and what to useThe reference is to Ranhofer's plain unflavored jelly, given elsewhere in the book; its composition is not reproduced here. Any clear, lightly sweetened gelatin base will serve, but make it distinctly firmer than usual: the champagne roughly doubles the volume, and both the alcohol and the beaten-in air weaken the set.
"As much champagne"The phrase is elliptical, and is normally read as an equal quantity — about a quart of wine to a quart of jelly. Use a dry sparkling wine, since the sweetness comes from the syrup in the base.
Salted iceA mold "incrusted in slightly salted ice" sits packed in crushed ice mixed with coarse salt, which brings the bath below freezing. A modern freezer will also do the job, though a salt-and-ice bath chills by contact and is not necessarily slower; half an hour in ice and salt does not freeze the jelly solid, so check it rather than trusting the clock.
The moldFig. 154 is a lidded metal jelly mold, and the lid matters because ice is packed over the top. A metal mold of at least two quarts' capacity, with foil pressed over the surface, works; glass and ceramic conduct heat too slowly for this method.
UnmoldingDip quickly — two or three seconds in hot water — then wipe and invert. A frothed, semi-frozen jelly slumps fast, so have the cold serving dish ready and return the finished jelly to the refrigerator or freezer until the moment of service.
YieldAbout two quarts of finished mixture, enough for eight to ten portions. Serve it very cold; as it warms the air beaten in begins to separate and the wine flavor turns flat.

A Little History

Charles Ranhofer put this in The Epicurean (1894), the enormous compendium of his years as chef at Delmonico's in New York, where the cold entremets section runs to dozens of jellies, creams and charlottes intended to close a long dinner. "À la russe" in nineteenth-century menu French is often said to have been applied loosely to dishes served very cold or iced, though the explanation is traditional rather than documented; in any case it does not indicate a Russian origin for the dish itself. Champagne jellies seem to have been a familiar feature of expensive Victorian and Gilded Age tables — the wine was costly, the effect was showy, and the whisked-and-frozen version here sits at the point where the jelly repertoire begins shading into iced mousses and bombes, which Ranhofer treats later in the book.