Blog Carnival – Jello part 1 - Failure

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I flunked my own first lesson.  This was going to be be just a basic jello with fruit, jelled to perfection in a tall mold so you could see the sweet cherries suspended inside. You can see how that turned out. But I did manage to salvage it.

As it turns out, jello desserts are actually pretty easy to mess up. But if you actually just pay attention they are very simple to make.

Here is the recipe, copied straight out of the Jello Cookbook.

*Cherry Medley (variation of Cherry-Mallow Mold)*

• 1 can pitted dark sweet cherries
• 1 package (3 oz) Jell-O Black Cherry or Cherry Gelatin
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Drain cherries, reserving syrup. Mix cherries and 1/2 cup reserved syrup. Set aside. Dissolve Jello Gelatin in boiling water. Add almond extract and remaining cherry syrup. Chill until very thick. Fold in cherry mixture. Pour into 2 quart mold (5 cups). Chill until firm.

Simple right? Well part of my problem is I don’t remember if I followed the directions on the package or the recipe. The recipe accounts for the additional liquid provided by the cherry juice. I might not have.

Then I lost track of time and let it firm to long at the point where you fold in the cherries and juice. The jello should be very thick and syrupy but not so thick that it seperates when you stir it, like mine here. You can see that it will not be a clear, solid gelatin when it firms up. Except we already know mine didn’t firm. Too much liquid.

It tried to be a brave little soldier but it’s knees gave out, turning into the goo you see in the first photo in less than a minute (I could tell is was too soft before turning it out and had my camera ready!).

But…

I salvaged it!

Tomorrow – Part 2 – Success!

I'm Twitterpated

I think it was Thumper who said that, meaning being in love. Being February it's only appropriate that I got Twitterpated! My beautiful gelatins are setting up in the reefer so I've been doing a little networking while I wait.

Come visit and Tweet!

Tomorrow I'll share me first round of Jello tests!

The Joys of Jello

I have a fascination with gelatin. Especially the monumental creations of the 1950's, the towering, jiggling confections that inspire more awe than hunger. I have a modest collection of molds, several cookbooks from the gelatin experts (Jell-O and Knox) and due to strange circumstances, a very large amount of unflavored gelatin.

I think it's time to stop lookin' and start cookin', don't you? I had originally planned to post a handful of photos depicting some of the more awesome "structures" and let you decide which one I should recreate. But then I remembered that these actually require a little skill. It's far beyond the basic boil and let set variety.

Oh no, you must first be a master of the jello. You must be aware of how different ingredients will affect or dilute the gelatin. Did you know that raw pineapple contains an enzyme that inhibits the jelling process? You must account for the sheer size of your masterpiece so it will not collapse under it's own weight.

So I will begin as a humble jello novice and start at the beginning. I shall document my progress - successes and failures- so that others who may follow in my gelatinous path may learn from them. I shall begin with basic desserts and Bavarians and simple salads. Then I'll work my way into the savory realm of aspics, perhaps conquering my fear of warm salmon mousse (pictured in the previous post) and tuna ring. And maybe, just maybe I'll be confident enough to take requests and accepts challenges.

Oh yes, I have high hopes. Very high hopes. And a lot of gelatin.

I'd rather eat this...

Than do my taxes.

This is Mr. TB Germ

A strange topic, I know, and even more strangely, fascinating. This vintage health pamphlet from the American Lung Association is from the 1940's. I found it with some other boyhood ephemera such as a boyscout manual. Strange that a brochure on tuberculosis merited saving by a young boy. Perhaps it was the artwork, which is heavily embellished, presumably by the same boyscout. (the pages below are non sequential and out of order)

It also seemed rather strange to find such a modern reference to TB, as I always thought of it as more of a Bohemian disease, long gone by the 40's. So I did a wee bit of research and discovered that tuberculosis was indeed almost eradicated in the US by 1950. As evident by the simple wording and illustrations, it was largely a disease of the very poor and uneducated.

If we go waaay back to the 18th century, TB sufferers were often thought to be vampires. Pale and sickly, whole families would often succumb, leading people to believe there was a vampire in their midst.

After the industrial Revolution TB is demystified and eventually romanticized. "Moulin Rouge" does a fairly accurate portrayal of a Bohemian suffering for her art. Some even believed that TB sufferers were endowed with supernatural creativity and talent, with death being the pinnacle.

Shortly after however, reality sets in and most of the world sets about stamping of TB. In the US the reason spittoons were banned was to help prevent spreading the germ.

Now I just wonder about the original owner of the pamphlet. Was he or someone in the family ill? Was it just a hand-out from health class? Why on earth did it get saved? Why do I keep it? Not my usual ephemera category but I felt strangely compelled to share.

For the full text of the pamphlet see here