Apple Gelatin
Source: Anonymous, 1920
History
Apple gelatin appears as "GELATINA DE MANZANA" in La Mejor Cocinera, Recetas de Cocina, an anonymously authored Spanish domestic cookbook published in Madrid by Editorial Saturnino Calleja; the earliest firmly located editions date to roughly 1921–1923. As printed, the recipe peels and cooks apples, then sets them: 700 grams of sugar is placed in a dish, 100 grams of cola de pescado (isinglass, a fish gelatin) is dissolved separately in a little hot water and combined with the juice of two lemons, strained through a fine sieve, added to the sugar, beaten hard until it takes consistency, and poured into molds; to unmold, the molds are briefly dipped in very hot water. It sits in the book's fruit-sweets section among other apple preparations such as dulce de manzana, mermelada de manzana, and jalea de manzana. The gelling agent named in the recipe, cola de pescado (isinglass), is a form of collagen obtained from the dried swim bladders of fish; before inexpensively manufactured gelatin became widely available, isinglass was the customary setting agent for confectionery and desserts such as fruit jelly and blancmange. Beyond the recipe's own printed text and its place in this early-twentieth-century Spanish cookbook, the historical record does not document a specific inventor, an origin narrative, or any social meaning for this particular dish.
Ingredients
- apples
- 700 grams sugar
- 100 grams isinglass (fish gelatin)
- 2 lemons, juice of
Instructions
- Peel the apples and cook them until soft. Place 700 grams of sugar in a serving dish. Separately, dissolve 100 grams of isinglass (fish gelatin) in a little hot water. Mix this with the juice of two lemons, then pass through a fine sieve and add to the sugar. Beat vigorously until the mixture begins to set, then pour into molds. When ready to unmold the gelatin, briefly dip the molds in very hot water to release them.