Jelly with a Gelatine Base

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Two spotless 1.5 to 2 litre stainless-steel saucepans
• •Balloon whisk
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Cotton jelly bag or four layers of tightly woven butter muslin
• •Clean heatproof bowl
• •Four 125 ml jelly molds or one 500 ml mold
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare and bloom

   Rinse four 125 ml molds with cold water and drain them without drying. Scald a cotton jelly bag, or four layers of tightly woven butter muslin, rinse it well, and leave it damp in a fine sieve over a spotless heatproof bowl. Put ½ cup (120 ml) of the measured cold water in a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatine evenly over its surface, and leave it for 10 minutes. Every granule should swell before heat reaches it; dry pockets become stubborn clear beads in the finished gelée.

   The pan, whisk, filter, and receiving bowl must be free of grease. Clarification is precise work, and a greasy film leaves the liquid dull.
2. 2

   Build the citrus syrup

   Warm the remaining 1¼ cups plus 2 teaspoons (305 ml) water in a spotless saucepan. Add the swollen gelatine and stir over gentle heat until completely dissolved. Add the sugar, coriander, lemon zest and juice, and orange zest and juice. Zest means only the glossy coloured skin, never the bitter white pith beneath it. Bring the syrup to one full boil, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then take it off the heat and leave it undisturbed for 10 minutes.

3. 3

   Temper the egg white

   In a second very clean saucepan, whisk the egg white with the dry white wine until loose and lightly foamy, not stiff. Pour in the hot citrus syrup little by little while whisking briskly. A slow stream prevents the egg from cooking into large lumps before it has spread through the liquid and gathered the fine particles that make the syrup cloudy.

4. 4

   Complete the clarification

   Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and continue whisking until the liquid reaches a boil. It will curdle into pale clumps and look alarming. It is exactly right. At the first true boil, stop whisking, lower the heat as far as it will go, and maintain only the gentlest simmer for 15 minutes. The egg white will gather into a raft while the liquid beneath grows clear. If the pan boils hard and breaks the raft apart, remove it from the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes so the curds collect again. Ça se rattrape.

   A corner of the range once supplied this low, steady heat. On a home stove, use the smallest burner and shift the pan partly off it if the simmer grows lively.
5. 5

   Filter without pressure

   Pour the jelly slowly through the prepared damp jelly bag or muslin and let gravity draw it into the clean bowl. Never press, twist, or scrape the filter. Inspect a spoonful against the light; if it remains turbid, rinse the muslin free of curd, dampen it again, and repeat the filtration until the jelly is quite clear. If it begins setting while you work, place the bowl over warm water and stir gently just until fluid. Do not boil it again.

6. 6

   Cool and add Kirsch

   Let the clarified jelly cool until barely warm, about 32°C to 35°C, while it remains completely liquid. Stir in the Kirsch gently so you do not raise bubbles. The 50 ml of liqueur replaces the water held back at the beginning; adding it on top of a full water measure would weaken the set. If the jelly starts thickening before the Kirsch is incorporated, warm the bowl briefly over warm water. Too warm and the perfume escapes, too cold and it cannot disperse evenly.

7. 7

   Mold and chill

   Divide the jelly among the rinsed molds. Touch any surface bubbles with the corner of clean kitchen paper, then chill until fully set, at least 6 hours and preferably overnight. To serve, dip each mold in warm water for 5 seconds, loosen one edge with a fingertip, and invert it onto a cold dessert plate. If it resists, give it another 2 seconds in the water rather than forcing it. Serve cold, clear, and unadorned. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use strong powdered gelatine and weigh it. Packet and leaf strengths vary, while this firm molded set depends on the book's proportion. If using leaves, weigh 14 g dry and soak them according to their instructions rather than matching the powdered gelatine by spoonful.
• •Measure the egg white rather than using the whole white. This half batch preserves the original proportion of one and a half whites to a full quantity; excess white forms a heavy raft that traps more of the jelly.
• •Pare the zest finely and leave every trace of white pith behind. The coloured outer film brings perfume; pith contributes bitterness and more material for the clarification to remove.
• •Kirsch gives a dry cherry perfume without colouring the gelée. The same 50 ml measure of Maraschino, rum, or anisette may replace it, but the liqueur must always replace part of the water rather than being added as extra liquid.
• •Keep the set gelée covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Do not freeze it, as freezing damages the gelatine network and leaves the dessert weeping when thawed.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the gelée the day before serving. Once its surface has set, cover the molds so the refrigerator contributes no stray aromas.
• •The filter, bowls, and molds can be scalded and prepared earlier in the day. Keep the muslin clean and damp until the clarified jelly is ready to pass through it.
• •Unmold just before serving. The gelée holds well on a cold plate for the dessert course, but its clean fluting is sharpest straight from the mold.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 135g)