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Aspic Jelly

Aspic is a gelatinous meat stock set with calf feet, veal, vegetables, and seasonings.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 24 ingredients
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Why it works: Turnip and leek match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,046 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Aspic Jelly

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the bones

  1. Cut each calf's foot into four pieces by cutting through the joint and between the hoofs, then saw through the long bone.

  2. Blanch the pieces by placing them in cold water and bringing it to a boil, then remove the pieces and wash them thoroughly in cold water.

Make the stock

  1. In a large pot, combine all ingredients with enough water to cover.

  2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 6 hours.

Clarify and set

  1. Strain the mixture to clear the jelly and refrigerate until set.

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

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. Turnip + leektop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,046 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  2. Leek + shallottop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together64 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  3. Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together10,173 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  4. Carrot + turniptop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,002 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  5. Turnip + shallottop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together202 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

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

What each ingredient does

Calves' feet
Release gelatin that gives the stock its firm, wobbly set when chilled.
Knuckle veal
Adds bone and connective tissue that enrich the stock's body and flavor.
Lean veal
Contributes meaty flavor to the stock as it simmers.
Egg whites
Bind to fine particles and rise to clarify the jelly when strained.
Leeks or onion
Add aromatic sweetness and depth to the stock.

The step that matters

Blanch the pieces, then wash them thoroughly. Blanching draws out blood and scum that would cloud the stock. Washing removes what remains, so the jelly stays clear and clean-flavored once strained and chilled.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, egg, carrot, turnip, leek, celery, shallot):

  1. Parsleyfits better
  2. Capersfits better
  3. Tarragonfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against veal, egg, carrot, turnip, leek, celery, shallot. 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.

More aspic recipes

Chicken 77Meat 26Tomato 25Jelly 16Lobster 14Beef 10 See all 167 →

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