Why it works: Sherry and vinegar 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 stock
Prepare a rich stock from veal, cow‑heel, ham, and poultry trimmings, flavored with vegetables, herbs, and seasonings.
If using poorer stock, dissolve 2 oz of gelatine in 1 quart of liquid.
Clarify and strain
Clarify the stock by adding the whites and shells of 2 or 3 eggs.
Strain the mixture through a jelly bag.
Flavor, color and use
Color the jelly with caramel for dark brown or cochineal for red.
Flavor the jelly with vinegar or lemon juice as desired.
Use the aspic jelly to mold poultry or allow it to cool and cut into shapes for garnish.
For a white glaze, mix 1 teacup of thick cream with 1 breakfast cup of the liquefied aspic jelly.
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.
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Sherry + vinegartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together660 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Ham + sherrytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together377 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Veal + hamtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,264 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Ham + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,526 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Sherry + creamtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,038 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal, cow-heel, ham and poultry trimmings
- Provide the collagen and meat flavor that set into a savory, firm jelly as the stock cools.
- Gelatine
- Adds setting power so the jelly firms reliably when the stock is weak.
- Egg whites and shells
- Bind to particles as they cook, clarifying the stock into a clear jelly.
- Thick cream
- Adds richness and opacity to the white glaze, giving it a smooth, creamy coating.
The step that matters
Clarifying the stock with egg whites. Egg whites and shells must be stirred in and the stock brought to a gentle simmer without boiling hard. Vigorous boiling breaks up the clarifying raft, leaving the jelly cloudy instead of clear.
“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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