Old Southern Tea Room Tomato Aspic Salad
12 servings
 Styling by Anne Quatrano/Special; Photo by Louie Favorite/Cox News Service Tomato Aspic with Artichokes For a larger, high resolution image, click HERE |
Hands on: 20 minutes Total time: 6 hours
"Don't miss the spicy cheese ball addition," says Barbara Ratner, who sent us the copy of it she got from "The Old Southern Tea Room Cookbook," a self-published cookbook pamphlet now out of print. That's essential."
We could not agree more. This recipe can be halved to make six servings.
For the cheese balls:
2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons chili sauce
2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon grated onion
For the aspic:
5 (0.25-ounce) packets unflavored gelatin
1 (46-ounce) can (or 6 cups) tomato juice
Juice of 2 lemons
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 onions, quartered
3 ribs celery
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Tabasco sauce to taste
Garnishes: lettuce leaves, mayonnaise, parsley, carrot curls
To prepare the cheese balls: In a bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, chili sauce, pickle relish and onion. Chill for 30 minutes.
To prepare the aspic: Soak the gelatin in 1 cup cold water. In a large saucepan, combine tomato juice, lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, onions, celery, bay leaves, sugar and salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a low simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Strain into a bowl or large measuring cup. Season to taste with Tabasco sauce. Stir in the gelatin.
Pour into 12 lightly oiled ramekins or individual molds. Cool to lukewarm. Using a spoon, shape the cheese ball mixture into 12 (1-inch) balls. Drop one into each ramekin.
Refrigerate molds for at least 6 hours. Unmold and serve on a lettuce leaf with a dab of mayonnaise, decorated with sprig of parsley and carrot curls.
Per serving: 111 calories (percent of calories from fat, 57), 2 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 7 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 16 milligrams cholesterol, 743 milligrams sodium.
Quinones Gazpacho Aspic
6-8 servings
Hands on: 30 minutes
Total time: 12 hours, includes draining and chilling
At Quinones, chef de cuisine David "Andy" Carson serves this fresh-flavored, contemporary aspic with a blue cheese foam, and crowns it with mixed fresh baby greens and a bacon chip. At home, executive chef Anne Quatrano recommends serving the aspic alongside a small green salad tossed with crisp crumbled bacon and a creamy homemade blue cheese dressing.
The aspics do not need to be unmolded; you can also serve them in their ramekins.
4 large heirloom tomatoes, cored and chopped (2 pounds, or about 5 cups chopped)
1 bulb fennel, trimmed, cored and chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, ribbed and chopped
1 small red onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 English cucumber, chopped
1 sprig each fresh basil, Italian parsley and tarragon
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
2 (0.25-ounce) packets unflavored gelatin
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes and/or minced vegetables (any of above), optional
In a blender, puree the tomatoes, fennel, pepper, onion, cucumber, basil, parsley and tarragon in batches. Stir in vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Line a bowl with several thicknesses of cheesecloth, allowing for ample overhang. Pour vegetable mixture into cheesecloth. Gather the sides of the cheesecloth, then tie with a string. Hang mixture over bowl in refrigerator so that cheesecloth doesn't touch the bowl and liquid drips freely into the bowl (or clip it to the side of a large pitcher and allow it to drip in the pitcher). This should yield about 1 quart of liquid.
Pour 1 cup tomato liquid in a medium bowl. Sprinkle gelatin into liquid to soften. Slightly heat another cup of liquid and add to gelatin mixture. Add back to remaining mixture. If desired, distribute halved tomatoes or minced vegetables among 6 to 8 lightly oiled ramekins or cups or a 1-quart mold. Add liquid. Chill 4 to 6 hours or overnight. Unmold, if desired, and serve.
Per serving: 81 calories (percent of calories from fat, 7), 4 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 1 gram fat (trace saturated), no cholesterol, 38 milligrams sodium.
Tomato Aspic With Artichokes
18 muffin-cup size servings (or 12 ramekin-size servings)
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 6 hours
Chef Anne Quatrano of Bacchanalia, with assistance from Quinones chef de cuisine David "Andy" Carson, followed this recipe to the letter — almost. They used their own homemade tomato juice, made with an array of heirloom tomatoes, and flavored with fresh herbs, rather than dried. They also substituted gelatin sheets (mostly available to consumers through online sources) and their homemade mayonnaise for commercial. And while they used canned artichokes for the test, in the restaurant they would substitute a fresh, seasonal vegetable, or skip it.
Either way, it makes an elegant and light starter to a meal.
Oil
3 (0.25-ounce) packets unflavored gelatin
6 cups tomato juice, divided
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 clove crushed garlic
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf, crushed
1 (9-ounce) can artichoke quarters, drained (or 9 ounces frozen artichokes, defrosted), each cut in half
4 to 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 ounce black caviar
Lightly oil muffin cups or ramekins; set aside. Soften the gelatin in 1 cup tomato juice; set aside.
In a saucepan, simmer the remaining 5 cups tomato juice, lemon juice, onion, garlic, dill weed, salt, basil, oregano and bay leaf for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain into a bowl or large measuring cup. Add the softened gelatin and stir to combine. Let cool 10 minutes. Divide the artichoke hearts among the prepared molds. Cover with the tomato mixture and chill for 4 hours.
To serve, unmold the aspics. Top each with 1 teaspoon mayonnaise and small dollop of caviar.
Per serving (based on 12): 84 calories (percent of calories from fat, 47), 4 grams protein, 8 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 4 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 15 milligrams cholesterol, 871 milligrams sodium.
These recipes were printed in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
