Meat Jelly

Ingredients

• loz. of leaf gelatine
• a pint of well flavoured stock
• a sliced onion
• a bay leaf
• a bunch of herbs
• a few peppercorns
• allspice mixed
• the white and shell of an egg

Method

1. 1

   In a clean pan, combine gelatine, stock, onion, bay leaf, herbs, peppercorns, allspice, and egg.

2. 2

   Bring gently to a boil while whisking well.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The "Queen" cookery books: Entrees (1901) by S. Beaty-Pownall, page 75. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

meat jelly (made from inferior joints and bones) for the foundation of their sauces, and thus diminished the boiling-in process needed to ensure the density of the preparation ; and then latterly, even well known chefs availed themselves of the stiffening properties of isinglass, and later on of the finest leaf gelatine. Prepared as they taught, sauces stiffened with either isinglass or the finest leaf gelatine, betrayed no trace of the strengthening medium which they carefully dissolved in the sauce, i and boiled down with it till the desired consistency, and the perfect cooking of the gelatinous matter, was f secured. Of itself, if of good quality, the stiffening * medium possesses no distinctive flavour, and if cooked to the point of dissolution and smoothly blended with whatever it is mixed, leaves no trace of ENTREES. 156 1 its presence beyond the dainty firmness, and the delicate glazy surface it imparts. But this delicacy is the outcome of knowledge and care, and as its use descended to those who possessed neither that know- ledge nor that care, only the result, i.e., the stiffness of such sauces, was noted, and as to such persons gelatine was gelatine, and cost was a consideration, sufficient attention was not bestowed on the quality of the stiffening substance ; so when carelessly melted (more or less) in boiling sauce, it was discovered to be lumpy, and very often distressingly rough and gluey in flavour ; accordingly a substitute was sought for and discovered in the bottled aspic jelly offered by various enterprising firms as a garnish, in which the rough taste of the gelatine was hidden by the flavouring. This being convenient, was accordingly added recklessly to any sauce that was to be used cold, regardless of the nature of the latter. As a matter of fact the strong taste of vinegar, flavoured or plain, which is such a marked characteristic of aspic jelly, is absolutely destructive of the delicacy of any sauce of which acidity is not a feature, overpowering as it does the natural savour of the foundation condiment. A sauce made by the modern “ good cook’s ” formula of dissolving from one to two parts of aspic jelly in one part of sauce may produce a nice smooth masking-sauce, which, to the average diner-out, is possibly palatable enough ; but to the gourmet it leaves a good deal to be desired, and if served as a chaufroix (without the qualifying en aspic ) is distinctly a mistake. Aspic jelly may be added with impunity to any sauce CHAUFROIX, &c. 157 which contains vinegar or acids of any kind, such as mayonna'se, mint, raifort, or even tomato sauce, but it utterly destroys the delicate flavour of supreme or bechamel sauce, and entirely changes the character of such full-bodied sauces as the Espagnole, or the Richelieu. Aspic chopped, or in blocks, may be used as a garnish to any cold dish a discretion, on con- dition that it is a garnish only, i.e., so served that its consumption is not unavoidable by those to whom its acidity is repugnant. As a proof of the truth of this assertion try the following, the first, the supreme en chaufroix of the first-rate chef ; the second, the ordinary poulet en aspic, otherwise supreme, of the average “ professed cook.” For the first, remove the fillets from the breasts of one or more fowls accordino- to quantity, slice these down neatly, into fairly thick fillets, and place them on a well buttered baking tin, seasoning them with white pepper, a very little salt, and a squeeze of lemon juice, cover with a buttered paper, and cook in the oven for eight or ten minutes. When cooked lay the fillets on a dish, reverse another over them, and lightly weight this to press the chicken fillets till perfectly cold. Meanwhile prepare a delicate white sauce by dissolving an ounce or more of butter, blending it to a perfectly smooth paste with about an ounce of fine sifted flour, and then moistening this with rich white stock, either entirely made from chicken bones, &c., or of these and veal stock in the proportion of one- third veal to two-thirds chicken stock, delicately flavoured with lemon juice, mushrooms, and parslev ; when well blended and smooth dissolve in this \oz. 158 ENTRIES. of the very best leaf gelatine (I always use Mrs. A. B. Marshall’s gelatine, as for these delicate pre- parations the most easily soluble and most tasteless kind is indispensable) for each pint of sauce ; let it all boil together till reduced about one-fourth, then add a gill of double cream for each pint of sauce, and use just as it is setting. Put the pan containing this sauce in another half full of warm (not boiling) water to keep it just at setting point, lift each fillet separately on a broad-bladed or palette knife, and pour over it (or “ mask ” it, as it is technically called) the stiffen- ing sauce from a spoon, being careful to cover it all thickly and smoothly, and then leave it till set. The masking must then be repeated, only this time use meat jelly prepared as below instead of the sauce, to ensure the surface being nicely glazed. When set, dish the fillets neatly in a circle alternately with sliced tongue, foie gras tniffe, or plain truffles as you choose, filling up the centre with turned and farced olives, tiny cubes of foie gras, salad, &c., to taste, either with a plain or a mayonnaise salad dressing, and serve. If you prepare a supreme in this way and mount it on a border mould of cold chicken cream set in a mould lined with the chicken jelly, and fill up the centre with oysters bearded, and tossed in white mayonnaise and crisped celery, serving it as Supreme a V Americaine, you will score a distinct success. I do not recommend this as an economy, for, as I have observed before, a supreme can never, from its nature, be anything but an expensive dish (though properly managed as I have also previously shown, it need not be extravagant), CHAUFROIX, &c. 159 but it is most certainly, if carefully made, a very seductive one. For the meat jelly put into a delicately clean pan loz. of leaf gelatine, a pint of well flavoured stock (white or brown, according to the use you intend putting it to), a sliced onion, a bay leaf, a bunch of herbs, a few peppercorns and allspice mixed, and the white and shell of an egg

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.