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Dessert

Jelly Made of Cooper's Isinglass

A gelatinous dessert made with Cooper's isinglass, eggs, lemon, wine, and seasoned cream.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Gibson, Marietta Fauntleroy Hollyday, "Mrs. C. H. Gibson." · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Cinnamon and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓

Jelly Made of Cooper's Isinglass

Ingredients

Directions

Make the jelly base

  1. Combine a quarter pound of gelatin, three quarts hot water, one quart wine, four lemons, six eggs (yolks, whites, shells), a little cinnamon, a few cloves, and brown sugar.

  2. Boil until particles separate.

  3. Strain through a jelly strainer.

Make the cream mixture

  1. Whip a quart of seasoned cream to a stiff froth.

  2. Dissolve one ounce of isinglass in one pint of water over heat until dissolved.

  3. Let the isinglass solution cool before mixing with the whipped cream.

  4. Stir the whipped cream into the cooled isinglass solution until stiff enough to drop from a spoon.

Mold and set

  1. Wet the molds, pour the mixture in, and set in a cool place.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

179Calories
7 gProtein
11 gFat
9 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Gibson, Marietta Fauntleroy Hollyday, "Mrs. C. H. Gibson.". Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Lemon + cinnamontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together7,950 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Lemon + clovetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,150 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  4. Wine + lemontop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together6,157 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  5. Wine + cinnamontop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together2,170 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Gelatine
Provides the gel structure that lets the jelly set firm.
Isinglass
Adds setting power, giving the jelly a firm, sliceable body.
Eggs
Whites help clarify the jelly, and yolks add richness and colour.
Seasoned cream
Whipped into a froth, it gives the set jelly a light, airy texture.
Wine
Adds flavour and acidity that balance the sweetness of the jelly.
Lemons
Contribute acidity and bright flavour to the jelly.

The step that matters

Cool the isinglass before folding in the cream. If the isinglass is still hot it will deflate the whipped cream and thin the froth. If it is too cold it can set in lumps before it blends. Folding in gently while it is just cool keeps the air and gives an even set.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (wine, cream, egg, cinnamon, clove):

  1. Vanillafits better
  2. Quincefits better
  3. Applefits about as well
  4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against wine, cream, egg, cinnamon, clove. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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