Beef in Aspic (with Gelatin)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make beef in aspic? Use any cut of beef. The important thing is that the meat is fresh — red (not gray or maroon) and without any off smell. Also keep in mind that you'll need to slice neat, even pieces from the cooked meat. Use a large carrot and a medium onion. Pick fresh, attractive herbs, since they'll be used for garnish — I used parsley. Any size egg works.

2. Step 2:

   

   Peel and rinse the carrot. Peel the onion down to its last papery layer — leaving that skin on keeps the onion from falling apart as it cooks whole.

3. Step 3:

   

   Rinse the beef under running water and trim off any sinew and membrane. Put the meat in a large pot (mine is 5 quarts) and cover it completely with water. Set it over medium heat, skim off the foam, and bring it to a boil.

4. Step 4:

   

   Add the parsley root, carrot, and onion to the boiling broth. Lower the heat and cook, covered, for 1.5–2 hours.

5. Step 5:

   

   Fifteen minutes before it's done, add the salt and spices. Taste, and add more salt if needed.

6. Step 6:

   

   Put the cooked meat in a bag or wrap it in plastic wrap. Let the carrot cool.

7. Step 7:

   

   Lift everything else out of the broth with a slotted spoon and set the pot back over medium heat. Rinse the egg, separate the white from the yolk (you won't need the yolk), and whisk the white to soft peaks.

8. Step 8:

   

   Add the whisked egg white to the broth and, stirring constantly, bring it to a boil. As it boils, foam gathers on top — that's the egg white pulling out everything that makes the broth cloudy and dark.

9. Step 9:

   

   Strain the broth into a clean container through a sieve and several layers of cheesecloth, then let it cool.

10. Step 10:

    

    Measure the volume of the remaining broth. Pour off a little and soak the amount of gelatin called for that volume in it. Gelatin varies by brand, so read the package directions for the right proportions. Stir the bloomed gelatin back into the broth and warm it over medium heat.

11. Step 11:

    

    This amount makes two aspic dishes about 12 x 8 inches (30 x 20 cm) serving 12, or one larger dish. I'm making two. Pour a thin layer of broth into the bottom — about 1/8–1/4 inch (3–5 mm) — and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes. Keep the rest of the broth at room temperature so it doesn't set.

12. Step 12:

    

    While the first layer sets, prepare the garnish. Slice the beef about 1/4 inch (4–6 mm) thick. Rinse and peel the lemon and slice it into half-moons as thin as you can. Cut decorative shapes from the carrot — I made little flowers, using a trimmed pipette to punch out rounds of different sizes. Handle the carrot carefully so the pieces don't get crushed or broken and stay neat in the aspic.

13. Step 13:

    

    Arrange the garnish on the set layer however you like — first the meat, then the carrot and lemon. Rinse the herbs, dry them, and pull them into individual leaves. Finish the design with the herbs. Pour just a thin trickle of broth over it, only enough to anchor the garnish. Caution: add too much broth and everything will float out of place. Return it to the fridge.

14. Step 14:

    

    Add 3 more layers this way, until the garnish is fully covered.

15. Step 15:

    

    Here's how my second dish turned out. Don't throw away any leftover broth — pour it in a thin layer into a flat dish and chill it in the fridge; you can use it for garnish before serving. I cut it into triangles and arranged them around the edge of the aspic, then filled the seam between the triangles and the rim with finely chopped set jelly.