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Aspic Jelly

Aspic jelly made from gelatin, stock, eggs, vinegar, and seasonings.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Clove and tarragon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 548 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓

Aspic Jelly

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the gelatine

  1. Soak the gelatine in water until it softens.

  2. Strain off the water.

  3. In a basin, combine the gelatine with the strong stock.

Clarify the stock

  1. Whisk the egg whites, shells, and one whole egg in a clean stewpan with the white peppercorns and bouquet garni.

  2. Add the tarragon vinegar and common vinegar.

  3. Whisk until frothy.

  4. Add the stock and gelatine mixture.

  5. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

  6. Place over low heat.

  7. Whisk until it boils.

  8. Let it simmer.

  9. Set aside until clear.

  10. Strain into a basin.

  11. Once cold, the jelly is ready for garnishing cold dishes and salads.

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. Clove + tarragontop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together548 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Tarragon + vinegartop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,547 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  3. Garlic + tarragontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together884 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Clove + garlictop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,368 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  5. Garlic + vinegartop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,115 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

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

What each ingredient does

Gelatine
Sets the stock into a firm, wobbly jelly once cooled.
Egg whites and shells
Attract cloudy particles so the simmered stock becomes clear.
Strong stock
Provides the liquid and main savoury flavour of the jelly.
Tarragon vinegar
Adds acidity and aroma, sharpening the flavour of the jelly.

The step that matters

Whisk until it boils, then simmer gently. Egg whites must be whisked into the stock and heated slowly so they coagulate and trap impurities. Vigorous boiling breaks up the raft, leaving the jelly cloudy instead of clear.

Swap the white pepper

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, egg, clove, garlic, tarragon, vinegar):

  1. Parsleyfits better
  2. Marjoramfits better
  3. Thymefits better
  4. White pepperthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against veal, egg, clove, garlic, tarragon, vinegar. 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.

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