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Dessert

Iceland Moss Jelly

A gelatinous dessert made from Iceland moss, water, and sugar, boiled and 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

  1. Soak the moss overnight in cold water.

  2. In a saucepan, combine the soaked moss and the soaking water.

Make the jelly

  1. Boil for 30 minutes from the time it starts boiling.

  2. Strain through a linen cloth and wash the saucepan.

  3. Return the strained jelly to the saucepan and add sugar.

  4. Boil for an additional 20 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent sticking.

Set and serve

  1. Pour into small molds dipped in cold water.

  2. 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

Moss
Its natural gums thicken the liquid and set it into a jelly as it cools.
Sugar
Adds sweetness and balances the mild, earthy flavour of the moss.

The step that matters

Stirring during the second boil. Once the strained liquid is back in the pan with sugar, it is thick and concentrated and can scorch on the base. Constant stirring keeps heat even and stops the jelly sticking and taking on a burnt taste.

“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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