A Taste of History: Rediscover the Delightful Tradition of Homemade Strawberry Jelly
Image credit: created by Patricia Leslie using Adobe Firefly (AI)
It appears strawberries were popular just as popular in 1882 as now (I love strawberry season!). There was once a time when serving a moulded gelatine dessert was pretty fancy. When I’m adding jelly to my dessert menu, I generally grab a box of crystals and add water as per instructions.
I found this taste of history Strawberry Jelly recipe in the Australian Town and Country Journal: 25 November 1882 issue. Making it from scratch doesn’t sound too hard. I have a cake tin in the requisite shape (as per image) but I’m not sure I have a silver dish to serve it on.
Strawberry Jelly
Ingredients:
· 2oz *Nelson's opaque gelatine (56.669 grams)
· four lemons
· l0oz sugar (283.495 grams)
· a piece of cinnamon
· four cloves
· the whites of three eggs, and
· one pint and a half of water. (852.392 ml)
How to use them:
Soak the gelatine in the cold water about an hour, then add the juice of the lemons, the sugar, cinnamon and cloves, the whites of three eggs whisked in a little cold water; stir all together gently over the fire until boiling, let it settle a few minutes, then pass through a flannel jelly-bag, pouring back a few times until quite clear.
Stand the jelly in ice to get nearly cold, pour a little in a jelly-mould, place in a layer of fine strawberries, then a little more jelly, then more strawberries, until the mould is full; stand in ice-water until wanted.
When required, dip the mould in warm water for a few seconds, wipe with a cloth, and turn out on to a silver dish; garnish with white flowers and green fern leaves.
* Notes: Australia converted to Metric Measurement in the 1970s. I've converted the original imperial measurements to metric using Google.
Nelson’s gelatine was probably available from any grocer back in 1882. (🐇🕳️ George Nelson was an English chemist who “invented” table jelly back in 1837). I don’t think it’s available anymore.
👈Credit: Nelson's patent opaque gelatine : jelly is made with the greatest facility in a few minutes, possessing the whole of the nutriment, without the impurities of the calves' feet / George Nelson. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Comments