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.

Mmmmm, delicious?

Since Thanks-for-giving-me-a-bellyache Day is near and I finally got a working scanner, I thought I'd share some authentic 1950's recipes this week.

I hope you ate already!

Main Curse! I mean, Course.

I'd actually eat this one. Accept I hate bananas.

This sounds like a great way of ruining perfectly good ice cream and Fig Newtons.

Big surprise that this is my favorite. I have a strange attraction to gelatin molds and desserts.

These just a few of the many items tucked into the pages of a 1938 cookbook. The most recent clipping I found was from the late 50's. Looks like this book had been well used for some time!

Stay tuned for more!

Adventures with Gelatin

Today I decided to re-try the gelatin dessert, Pineapple Bavarian. I tried this last week with my brand new mini Jello molds and it didn’t set. Here is the exact recipe, verbatim, from The Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking circa 1959. “Bavarian” is a rich cream mixture thickened with just enough gelatin to make them set.


Pineapple Bavarian
1 T plain gelatin
¼ cup cold water
9 oz can crushed pineapple (1 cup)
1 cup whipping cream, chilled
dash of salt
¼ cup sugar
2 T Maraschino cherry juice
6 Maraschino cherries, halved

"Sift gelatin over the water measured into a custard cup. Let stand for 5 min to soften. Meanwhile turn pineapple into a 2 qt mixing bowl. Stir in cherry juice, salt, and sugar. Set custard cup of gelatin in a pan containing hot water and let stand until it melts into a clear liquid, then stir into pineapple mix. Set aside or in refrigerator until mixture becomes consistency of thick unbeaten egg white. Have cream whipped until just stiff, but not lumpy. Quickly scrape cream onto top of pineapple mixture, then using scraper, quickly cut and fold in the cream lightly but thoroughly. Cover and place in refrigerator to chill. Serve heaped lightly in sherbets. Garnish with cherries."

I really wanted a molded dessert so I amended a bit. I used a full package of gelatin, ½ pint whipping cream and 2 oz cream cheese. It is important you use canned pineapple as fresh pineapple has some sort of enzyme that inhibits the gelatin from setting! (This could be why my first attempt failed, though I cooked the pineapple.)

To release these guys from their molds I had to warm the bottoms a bit under warm water. It was too hot and the first one melted a bit. The second one was perfect. This is a very rich dessert to these little single serving size molds will be perfect for the party.