Chicken in Aspic

My latest culinary experiment was based on a vague memory from a magnificent Shabbat buffet at a hotel in Switzerland many years ago. The catalyst was the need to do something useful with some leftover smoked chicken.

I've wanted to experiment with aspic for years but never got around to it. However, mehadrin kosher gelatine is now so readily available - it positively shrieks at one from the supermarket shelves - there seemed to be no reason to delay further.

Gelatine is sensitive stuff, and one needs to get it right. The principles I learned from my web research were these:

• Stir the gelatine powder into a small amount of warm broth before adding it to the main saucepan of broth.
• For aspic firm enough for solids to be suspended, allow 1 sachet (2 3/4 Tbs) per 5 cups broth 
• Once the gelatine is added to the broth, heat and stir to thoroughly dissolve, but do not allow it to boil, as this destroys the setting power of the gelatine
• Because it is served chilled, aspic - and the food suspended in it - need to have a strong flavour (which is why smoked chicken is good)

I also discovered that the modern kosher gelatine powder dissolves fairly quickly and easily, and is not as time-consuming and complicated to deal with as described in traditional aspic recipes.

How I did it


I used leftovers from a whole smoked chicken - there was about a third of the meat left. When removing the meat from the bones and chopping it up, I kept the tasty golden skin too, but no doubt many cholesterol concious people today would discard the skin. I made a broth with the bones, and then cooked some baby peas in part of the broth and drained them. I garnished the base of the mould with sliced hardboiled egg and cucumber, and mixed together the chopped smoked chicken, boiled and well-seasoned peas, leftover hardboiled egg bits, chopped fresh coriander, and freshly ground pepper. Slices of boiled carrot would have added additional colour (not to mention flavour to the broth), and if I'd been a little more confident that it was going to actually set, I'd have been more adventurous with the decoration, and included some coriander sprigs on top of the egg slices.

I considered making individual portions in a silicon cupcake tray, but couldn't figure out how I'd turn them out without cutting up the tray, so in the end I used a single large oval Pyrex serving dish.

Unfortunately, due to lack of experience, I worried that the aspic wasn't setting and added rather more gelatine that was necessary - making the aspic rather more solid than it should be. (Although you want it firm, to hold up the solids, it should still be soft.) I also moved around the egg decoration in my frustration, so its a little askew. When I put it to bed in the fridge last night I was not even sure that it would set - but joy came in the morning.

We'll be serving it as a first course, accompanied by American jellied cranberry sauce from the new shop across the road from my parents' place.

And now... watch out terrine recipes, here I come...