Molded Gelatin Desserts

Appears in

Published 1989

About

Many of our favorite desserts are given form and body by an addition of gelatin. Gelatin traps air within whipped eggs and cream, thus sustaining their lightness. If too little gelatin is added, or it is incorrectly mixed, a gelatin dessert will not set firmly enough to hold its shape when unmolded. Yet adding excess gelatin as a preventative measure may produce a rubbery texture.

Gelatin desserts are set in molds, as plain or fancy as mood and mixture dictate. Soft foamy mixtures are best when set in shallow, simple shapes, but creams and mousses can be relied upon to set firmly in tall peaked molds and patterned ring molds like kugelhopf. The more complicated the design of the mold, the more likely a gelatin mixture is to stick during unmolding. Most gelatin desserts are enhanced by a ruff of whipped cream or a ring of contrasting sauce around the base; tall molds are emphasized when crowned with rosettes of cream studded with fresh berries or toasted nuts.