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Dessert

Iceland Moss Jelly

A gelatinous dessert made from soaked Iceland moss, boiled with water and sugar, then set in molds.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Iceland Moss Jelly

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the moss

  1. Soak the moss overnight in cold water.

  2. Combine the soaked moss and the soaking water in a saucepan.

Make the jelly

  1. Boil for 30 minutes.

  2. Strain the mixture through a linen cloth.

  3. Wash the saucepan.

  4. Return the strained jelly to the saucepan.

  5. Add sugar.

  6. Boil for 20 minutes, stirring constantly.

  7. Pour the jelly into small molds dipped in cold water.

  8. Serve with cream, wine, and sugar.

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.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Iceland moss
Provides the gelling agent that thickens the water into a jelly as it cooks.
Cold water
Soaks and extracts the moss's gelling compounds, then forms the body of the jelly.
White granulated sugar
Adds sweetness and balances the mild, earthy flavour of the jelly.

The step that matters

Boil for 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Once sugar is added, the jelly must boil long enough to set properly. Constant stirring prevents scorching on the base of the pan, where the thickened mixture can burn quickly.

“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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