24 November 2011

Thanksgiving

The collaborative menu arrived at, via many emails and a shared Google Document, goes as follows:

The apple cider jelly is a ridiculous thing to put on the table, a Victorian frou-frou not far off from canned cranberry sauce with the ridges showing. It falls somewhere on the main course side of the sweet/savory axis; it's definitely not dessert. But I wanted to make it, because I'd made it once long before the girl was born, and wanted her to experience its quivering delight. You make it in a fancy mold, and it has altogether too much gelatin in it, and it's a rather wonderful jiggly eccentricity.

May your Thanksgiving include Rockettes, and three kinds of cranberries at the table, wherever you may be.




Cider Jelly
adapted from Laurie Colwin's More Home Cooking

Five (5) packets of unflavored gelatin
2 cups sugar (or less, to taste)
grated zest of 1 lemon
¼ t. cinnamon
1 cup cold water
1/3 cup lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
1 quart apple cider

1. In a bowl mix the gelatin, sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon. Pour in the cold water and stir to combine well.
2. Add the lemon juice.
3. Bring the cider to a boil, skimming off any scum. Pour the cider into the gelatin mixture and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.
4. When the mixture is cooled but not yet set, pour it into a 1-quart pudding mold and chill it in the refrigerator overnight, or until set.

4 comments:

Beck said...

Now I am freaking hungry and OH LOOK, THANKSGIVING IN CANADA WAS LAST MONTH.
Oh well. I hope yours is nice.

Bibliomama said...

'a rather wonderful jiggly eccentricity'. Love.

shrink on the couch said...

"Canned Cranberry Sauce - because someone needed it"

uh, that would be me :)


Never heard of cider jelly. Googling now to get a visual. But oh, I love Laurie Colwin's Family Happiness. Need to re-read that one.

Stimey said...

Happy Thanksgiving, friend!