aspic-msg - 9/7/04
Notes on aspic. A meat-based gelatin used in some medieval dishes and sotelties. Recipe. Substitutions. Other gelatins.
NOTE: See also the files: sotelties-msg, fish-msg, broths-msg, puddings-msg, roast-pork-msg, roast-meats-msg.
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Date: Sat, 18 Oct 1997 14:33:56 -0400
From: marilyn traber <margali at 99main.com>
Subject: Re: SC - aspic?
> Ok, I've seen several mentions of this "aspic" in several messages
> lately. For us new cooks, what is it?
>
> Stefan li Rous
Do you know the clearish gelatinous goo under the refrigerated chicken
or turkey? That is aspic in its original and best example. You get it
from cooking cartilage and bones to render out relatively pure protein.
It is the forerunner of jello.
margali
Date: Sat, 18 Oct 1997 07:14:24 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - aspic?
> Dragonfyr said:
> > she filled the blown out eggs with a beef aspic,
>
> Ok, I've seen several mentions of this "aspic" in several messages
> lately. For us new cooks, what is it?
>
> Stefan li Rous
Aspic is a very clear jelly made from meat-based gelatin, as, for
instance, the juice from a roast chicken will turn into a jelly when it
gets cold. The jelly around the canned ham is another example, except it
is usually unacceptably salty. For most culinary purposes, aspic is
usually made either by adding gelatin to stock, or ideally by boiling
down consomme, which is an OOP, extra clear, extra flavorful, meat or
fish stock.
Adamantius
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 13:26:14 -0400
From: Woeller D <angeliq1 at erols.com>
Subject: Re: SC - SC- Basic Cookbooks
This is my answer to Yorkshire pudding, Aspics and cookbooks combined.
Ignore what you will.
The book that I find indispensible is Helen Worth's 'Cooking Without
Recipes'. It's old (Mine is a third copyright edition from 1965) but it
has hundreds of 'patterns'- it explains techniques for cooking items and
styles, with guidelines and hints so that you can 'freeform', and also
has many basic recipes.
<snip>
Then, others have asked about aspic- I don't find it in my modern
cookbooks, but page 149 of my trusty old reliable says:
Aspic
- -1 envelope unflavored gelatin
- -2 cups liquid, divided OR 1 3/4 cups liquid plus 4 T acid (having
explained on the same page that vinegar or lemon juice may be used to
'tenderize' the gelatin)
- -1/2 t salt
2-4 C flavoring ingredients*OPTIONAL ( having explained on the previous
page under 'gelatin salads' that good liquids are fruit juice, stock,
bouillon or milk, and suggested flavorings include various meats,
veggies, seafoods & fruits)
Soften gelatin in 1/2 C cold liquid. Stir over low heat until gelatin
dissolves. Remove from heat & add remaining liquid & salt & pour into
molds. If using flavoring ingredients, fold in when gelatin is
cosistency of egg white, then pour into molds. Refrigerate until firm.
Angelique
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 22:35:12 EDT
From: melc2newton at juno.com (Michael P Newton)
Subject: Re: SC - aspic?
On 18 Oct 1997 01:49:06 U "Mark Harris" <mark_harris at risc.sps.mot.com>
writes:
>Dragonfyr said:
>> she filled the blown out eggs with a beef aspic,
>
>Ok, I've seen several mentions of this "aspic" in several messages
>lately. For us new cooks, what is it?
>
>Stefan li Rous
I've been reading {grazing,actually} _A Concise Encyclopedia of
Gastronomy_ by Andre L. Simon, and he has what looks like a real cool
recipe for Aspic. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but I'll give it
out anyways:
Aspic
french for Meat Jelly. Meat gravy and calf's foot jelly flavoured with
pot-herbs, one of these being the espic or spikenard, hence the name.
The more usual way to make a meat glaze for Aspic is as follows:
Onions and Carrots
1 calf's foot
Small "bouquet garni'
1 clove garlic
1 clove
Hot water
Cover the whole bottom surface of a heavy copper or iron saucepan with
slices of onion; cover these in turn with trimmings of lean meat,
preferably gelatinous things such as pieces of shank of veal, skin of
fresh pork and scraps of beef, poultry or veal. Add one or two sliced
carrots, a calf's foot cut into smallish pieces, the 'bouquet',clove,
garlic, salt and pepper. Moisten with a ladleful of water and set on a
good fire to sweat. When the juices begin to flow and the contents of the
pan begin to colour and look like sticking to the bottom, reduce heat
greatly and continue cooking very gently until the surface fat looks
quite clear. Skim this fat off very carefully, then add hot water
according to requirements. Do not touch contents of pan, beyond shaking
gently now and then, that the browned onion may colour the glaze nicely,
but do not allow contents to burn.Simmer gently over a low heat for 2 or
3 hours; then, again skim off any surface fat and strain the gravy
through a very fine sieve lined with muslin. Set aside for use whenever
wanted. It will keep well on ice.
If anyone uses this, let me know, and we'll compare notes!
Lady Beatrix
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 18:09:42 -0800
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: SC - Meat jelly (was: french cooking etc.)
There are period recipes for meat (and fish) jellies; what you are usually
doing is cooking down wine or whatever with pigs' feet or the like to make
a stock that will jell, then cooking slices of meat in it, then arranging
the meat in a dish, straining the liquid, and pouring the liquid over the
meat and letting it cool and set.
Elizabeth/Betty Cook
Date: Mon, 2 Feb 1998 20:47:10 -0800From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>Subject: Re: SC - Meat jelly (was: french cooking etc.)Stefan quoted me:>>There are period recipes for meat (and fish) jellies; ...>>Is this the same as aspic? We had a recent discussion on this list about>aspic (which is now in my file aspic-msg). Is aspic something else? Or>is meat jelly a more general category that includes aspic?Yes, I believe this is the same as aspic; I was using the word "jelly"because the period recipes are called things like "gele of flessh" or"gelye de fysshe". I don't know when the word "aspic" comes into use forthis sort of thing in English.Elizabeth/Betty Cook
Date: Sun, 22 Mar 1998 12:34:51 -0500
From: "marilyn traber" <mtraber at email.msn.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Jelly (was Menagier translation webbed)
ya know the ooky clear gel under cold chicken- it's called aspic.
they used to take the hocks of veal, cook for a long time with various
seasonings and use it as a basic aspic as well.
you can fake an aspic if you are in a hurry with Knox unflavored gelatin and
make it with beef or chicken broth. it does sort of surprise the midnight
fridge raider if they are expecting white grape jello and get chicken aspic.
*snicker*
margali
Date: Fri, 5 Jun 1998 10:11:43 -0400
From: renfrow at skylands.net (Cindy Renfrow)
Subject: Re: SC - Re:
<snip>
>I agree. Since jams are basically fruit that has stewed a little too long I
>find it unreasonable to think that jam did not exist. OTH,Jellies I would have
>more of a problem with,. Unfortunately, I do not lnow of any medieval
>literature that refers to this food either. On gut instinct and logic , I
>would say continue serving it, just don't list it as "medieval". :-)
>
>Ras
Meat jelly was known, as this fancy dish of pork & chicken in aspic proves:
Harleian MS. 279 - Potage Dyvers
Cix. Gelye de chare. Take caluys fete, & skalde hem in fayre water, an
make hem alle [th]e whyte. Also take howhys of Vele, & ley hem in water to
soke out [th]e blode; [th]en take hem vppe, an lay hem on a fayre lynen
clo[th]e, & lat [th]e water rennyn out of [hem]; [th]an Skore a potte, &
putte [th]e Fete & [th]e Howhys [th]er-on; [th]an take Whyte Wyne [th]at
wolle hold coloure, & cast [th]er-to a porcyon, an non o[th]er lycoure,
[th]at [th]e Fleysshe be ouer-wewyd with-alle, & sette it on [th]e fyre, &
boyle it, & Skeme it clene; an whan it is tendyr & boylid y-now, take vppe
[th]e Fleyshe in-to a fayre bolle, & saue [th]e lycoure wyl; & loke [th]at
[th]ow haue fayre sydys of Pyggys, & fayre smal Chykenys wyl & clene
skladdyd & drawe, & lat [th]e leggys an [th]e fete on, an waysshe hem in
fayre water, & caste hem in [th]e fyrste brothe, an sethe it a-[3]en ouer
[th]e fyre, & skeme it clene; lat a man euermore kepe it, an blow of [th]e
grauy. An in cas [th]e lycoure wast a-way, caste more of [th]e same wyne
[th]er-to, & put [th]in honde [th]er-on; & [3]if [th]in hond waxe clammy,
it is a syne of godenesse, an let not [th]e Fleyshe be moche sothe, [th]at
it may bere kyttyng; [th]an take it vppe, & ley it on a fayre clo[th]e, &
sette owt [th]e lycoure fro [th]e fyre, & put a few colys vnder-nethe [th]e
vesselle [th]at [th]e lycoure is yn; [th]an take pouder of Pepir, a gode
quantyte, & Safron, [th]at it haue a fayre Laumbere coloure, & a gode
quantyte of Vynegre, & loke [th]at it be sauery [of] Salt & of Vynegre,
fayre of coloure of Safroun, & putte it on fayre lynen clo[th]e, & sette it
vnder-nethe a fayre pewter dysshe, & lat it renne [th]orw [th]e clo[th]e so
ofte tylle it renne clere: kytte fayre Rybbys of [th]e syde of [th]e
Pygge, & lay ham on a dysshe, an pulle of [th]e lemys of [th]e Chykenys,
eche fro o[th]er, & do a-way [th]e Skynne, & ley sum in a dysshe fayre
y-chowchyd, & pore [th]in gelye [th]er-on, & lay Almaundys [th]er-on, an
Clowys, & paryd Gyngere, & serue forth.
Le Menagier also lists several meat jellies and fish jellies, including one
tinted blue with turnsole & decorated with armorial bearings in gold &
silver. (Power's "The Goodman of Paris", p. 280)
Cindy Renfrow/Sincgiefu
renfrow at skylands.net
Author & Publisher of "Take a Thousand Eggs or More, A Collection of 15th
Century Recipes" and "A Sip Through Time, A Collection of Old Brewing
Recipes"
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 14:31:14 -0800
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Le Menagier
At 4:40 PM -0500 10/22/98, Helen wrote:
>Also, what is crayfish jelly?
Here is Menagier's meat jelly, which has crayfish in the meat-day version
along with the meat and crayfish and/or various fish for the fish-day
version. I haven't tried this version, although I have done one from a
contemporary English cookbook.
- ---------
TO MAKE FOUR DISHES OF MEAT JELLY, take a pig and four calf's feet and have
two chicks plucked and two skinny young rabbits, and remove the grease, and
they are to be split in two down the middle, except the pig which is to be
cut in pieces: and then put in a pan three quarts of white wine or claret,
a pint of vinegar, a half-pint of verjuice, make it boil and froth
strongly: then add, in a small closed cloth bag, a quarter of an ounce of
saffron to give an amber colour, and put meat on to boil and all together
with a little salt; then take ten or twelve pieces of white ginger or five
or six pieces of galingale, half an ounce of grains of Paradise, three or
four pieces of mace leaf, two blancs worth of juniper: cubeb, nard, three
blancs worth: bay leaves, six nutmegs; then crush them in a mortar and put
in a bag and put in to boil with the meat until it is cooked, then take it
out and set it to dry on a white cloth, then take for the best plate the
feet, the snout and the ears: and the rest to the others. Then take a good
net on two supports, and pour your whole potful through it, except for the
spices which you take out, and strain it for soup, and do not stir it until
it gets clearer. But if it does not strain well, heat it here and there to
keep it hot so it will strain better, and strain it two or three times
until it becomes clear, or through a cloth folded three times. Then take
your dishes and arrange your meat in them, and have some cooked crayfish,
of which you are to put on your meat the thighs and tails; your jelly is to
be reheated, and pour enough of it on to the meat to cover, for there need
be only a little meat, then put in the cellar overnight to cool, and in the
morning stick in it cloves and bay leaves and cinnamon sticks, and sprinkle
with red anise. Note that to make it in two hours, you must have quince
seed (or flesh: trans.), philicon (possibly an astringent plant of the fern
family) and cherry-tree gum, and crush all this together and put in a bag
to boil with the meat.
Item, on fish days, you make the jelly as above, with loach, tench, bream,
eels, crayfish and perch. And when the fish is cooked, put it to drain and
dry on a fair white cloth, and skin and clean it well, and throw the skins
in the broth.
Elizabeth/Betty Cook
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 09:09:32 -0400
From: Phil & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - crayfish jelly
Helen asked:
> > >Also, what is crayfish jelly?
> > >
> > >"Side dish: crayfish jelly, loach jelly, small rabbits and pigs.
>
> I saw the recipe, but I do not know what it is. Is it a jelly (for
> bread) or more like an aspic?
Crayfish jelly is most likely a solid, clear fish jelly (crayfish don't seem
to have the right kinds of proteins to gel on their own, ditto crabs,
lobsters, and shrimp) flavored and garnished with crayfish. If you've ever
seen head cheese in the market, it's probably something along those lines,
except made with fish and crayfish instead of hog's head. Not unlike a jellied
shrimp salad, which actually sounds to me like it might be pretty good.
Adamantius
stgardr, East
Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 18:20:16 -0400
From: renfrow at skylands.net (Cindy Renfrow)
Subject: Re: SC -gelatinous properties, was chessboards
>I'm trying to find a mention of carageenan in any of our references or
>original sources. No luck, yet, but Ann Hagen says, in _A Handbook of
>Anglo-Saxon Food_, the Processing and Consumption volume:
>
>"Cereal-derived flummery produced a slightly acid, solid jelly, ...."
>
>She is not talking about carageenan here, is she? A product derived from
>moss would not come under the 'cereal' heading, I don't think. The word
>'flummery' is not generally used in the USA, but is it still used in GB
>for puddings, et al? Does anyone know, specifically, what Hagen means?
Sir Kenelme Digby has a flummery recipe. It is a wheat flour pudding or
jelly flavored with sugar and rosewater or orange-flower water: "#152
WHEATEN FLOMMERY... Take half, or a quarter of a bushel of good Bran of
the best wheat (which containeth the purest flower of it, though little,
and is used to make starch,) and in a great woodden bowl or pail, let it
soak with cold water upon it three or four days. Then strain out the milky
water from it, and boil it up to a gelly or like starch. Which you may
season with Sugar and Rose or Orange-flower-water, and let it stand till it
be cold, and gellied..."
<snip>
Cindy Renfrow/Sincgiefu
renfrow at skylands.net
Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 15:54:13 -0700
From: MAGGIE SECARA <SECARAM at mainsaver.com>
Subject: RE: SC -gelatinous properties, was chessboards
I believe that a seaweed called "dulse" is/was common as a food in the
Hebridescommon
Maggie
C. Southampton
RPF/CA
MaggiRos
Mairghread-Rs FitzGarret of Desmond, O.L. (Caid)
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 00:57:52 -0000
From: "=?iso-8859-1?Q?Nanna_R=F6gnvaldard=F3ttir?=" <nannar at isholf.is>
Subject: Re: SC -gelatinous properties, was chessboards
This is what Alan Davidson says in North Atlantic Seafood, after describing
carrageen moss or Irish moss (Chondrus crispus):
"In fact there are two plants which go by the name carrageen. The other is
Gigartina stellata (Stackhouse) ... Both belong to a group of red seaweeds
which are the source of agar (or agar-agar, a Malayan word meaning the
gelatinous extract made from various of these plants). This product is
important in making liquids viscous or producing jellies ... During the
Second World War Britain suffered a shortage of agar and special measures
were taken to identify and exploit native stocks of carrageen ... The
housewives of the Hebrides still use carrageen for making a delicious milk
jelly which has a pleasant tang of the sea in its flavour. ... The Irish
have found many ways of using it in cookery, many of them subsidiary (for
example, as an addition to soups or to help set the fruit mixture in a fruit
flan)." Davidson also has an Irish recipe for a carragheen dessert.
Carrageen moss was eaten in Iceland in the old days, usually mixed with
grains in a porridge. Sometimes the porridge was cooled, cut into pieces,
and the pieces were then preserved in whey, sometimes for months. Carrageen
was also chopped and mixed with skyr (whey). Dulse, on the other hand, is
still eaten and has been since the settlement, and frequently chewed as a
sort of chewing gum (if you have read Egils Saga, you may recall when Egill
wanted to starve himself to death after losing his sons but was tricked into
accepting some dulse - that was OK, dulse for chewing wasnt food - but its
saltiness made him thirsty and he called for a jug of water, but was given
milk instead. When he realized he had broken his fast, he abandoned his
starvation plan and composed a rather good poem instead.
Nanna
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 11:36:22 -0400
From: Christine A Seelye-King <mermayde at juno.com>
Subject: SC - Gelatins/ Carageen Pudding
On Fri, 7 May 1999 MAGGIE SECARA writes:
>I believe that a seaweed called "dulse" is/was common as a food in the
>Hebrides
>
>Maggie
DOH! Of course! There is a candy called "Dulsy the Yellowman" on the
cover of the pamphlet for the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.
There is a fair there that dates to the early 1600's, and it is
traditionally served there. The flyer says (yup, just went and dug out
my pictures from our trip) "Dulsy the Yellowman depicted in this
brochure originates from the two delicacies, dulse and Yellowman,
features of the "Ould Lammas Fair", held on the last Monday and Tuesday
of August in Ballycastle."
And then, I got out my "Favorite Irish Recipies" book I got there, and
there is a recipie for yellowman (a yellow, brittle toffee) and for *ta
da* Carageen Pudding. No dates here, but it is a start.
Carageen Pudding
>From "Favorite Irish Recipies - Traditional Fare from the Emeral Isle"