Improvising Gelées

Because of their subtlety, natural gelées can be used as a medium for virtually any flavor. As with hot sauces, the aesthetic spectrum for making gelées runs between two poles. At one end of the spectrum are gelées prepared so that they are actually or seemingly derived from the meats or fish they accompany. Remember that a gelée was originally created directly from the cooking process—stews left to set in their own juices or chicken sautés allowed to congeal and then spooned out the next day.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are gelées designed to contrast with the foods they accompany. Popular in eighteenth-century France, dishes with contrasting gelées, such as pigeon with crayfish gelée, are still occasionally served in contemporary French restaurants. Between these two poles are gelées whose flavor is gently shaped so that the flavor of the ingredient they accompany is accented while remaining intact, such as the braising liquid from a rabbit accented with a grassy-flavored Sauvignon Blanc or Sancerre.