Basic Bavarian (c.1967) ★★★



I really wanted to have a medieval recipe up on the blog yesterday, but alas, it was not to be. Over the weekend we had Little Y's third birthday party and on top of that, our air conditioner broke and we're currently attempting to survive 42 degree weather. Needless to say, there was no way I was turning on an oven or a stove. So, I noticed a distinct lack of gelatin on this blog, and decided to do a gelatin recipe, since it requires no cooking or baking!

This recipe comes from The Joys of Jell-O Brand Gelatin, 9th edition. It seems like all editions of this cookbook are undated, but the introduction states, "Jell-O Gelatin first grandly shimmered its way into American dining rooms in 1897. Just how many brands in your kitchen go back over 70 years?" From this we can deduce that the cookbook was published circa 1967.


Original Recipe:


The Verdict:
This dessert is very rich because of the whipped cream - almost too much so. The strawberry flavour is not strong at all. The added cream also made it a bit less solid than regular gelatin, even after being in the fridge all night. I think it would benefit from a bit of time in the freezer, for a more solid consistency (edit: or just don't make this on a very hot day like I did ;) ). I felt so wrong adding extra sugar to the gelatin powder, but because the whipped cream I used was unsweetened the end result was barely sweet at all! This is pretty good on its own, but I think it would be really good as a filling in a pie, as suggested in the cookbook. I didn't add any fruit, because I didn't have any on hand, but I think it would help cut the intensity of the cream as well. Oh, and my gelatin is a bit spotty because I waited too long to stir in the whipped cream.


Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Joys of Jell-O Brand Gelatin, via Eudaemonius)

The original recipe is easy to follow. To unmold your gelatin, go around the outside edge with a wet finger and gently pull it away from the edge. Then set the mold in a container of warm water for a few seconds and invert onto a plate.

Anje graduated with a Honours Bachelors degree in History with a minor in Museum Studies. She currently lives and works in Japan's least populous prefecture as an assistant English teacher.

4 comments:

  1. I live in the tropics. You made this on a very hot day. There are some tricks (strategies) to using gelatine in hot weather which may be written in very very small print on the packaging somewhere. The usual idea is to double the amount of gelatine. Dissolve the gelatine well in advance. I would probably use all the water and then chill it after the dissolving was complete. When just right I would add the cream.

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    1. You know, I thought of this afterwards, that perhaps the heat made my gelatin a bit weaker than usual. We've also been having issues with our fridge, so that probably played into it as well. Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely keep that in mind for any future endeavors!

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  2. I can report that the recipe (and photo!) were in the 1963 first printing of _Joys of Jell-O_. It's in my book on page 9, so I can move the date up a little.

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