Why it works: Vinegar and sherry work together. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 660 recipes. Both carry 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol, which smells smoky, clove. The science ↓
Aspic Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the gelatine
Soak the gelatine in enough cold water to cover it for 3 hours.
Make the aspic
Heat the stock to boiling.
Stir in the soaked gelatine and bring to a boil.
Add the vinegar and cook for 1 minute.
Strain the mixture through a thick bag without squeezing.
Add the sherry and let it cool until more than blood-warm.
Set
Pour the mixture over the tongue.
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
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.
-
Vinegar + sherrytop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together660 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
-
Veal + sherrytop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together572 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).
-
Veal + vinegartop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together948 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gelatine
- Sets the clear stock into a firm, wobbly jelly when it cools.
- Stock
- Provides the main flavour and liquid that becomes the aspic.
- Vinegar
- Adds a sharp acidity that brightens the flavour of the rich stock.
- Sherry
- Adds aroma and a mellow, nutty sweetness to the finished aspic.
The step that matters
Straining without squeezing. Squeezing the bag pushes cloudy solids through, making the aspic murky. Letting it drip keeps the jelly clear and bright.
“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.
More aspic recipes
You might also like
Veal Patties50 recipes
Beef, Mutton, or Veal Broth6 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.