These Boats Have Sailed

Both Sugar High Friday and Is My Blog Burning? slipped through my fingers this month.  Somehow I didn't become aware of Alice's Citrus theme until it was too late -- probably because I'm not doing enough blog reading these days.  And I had lots of ideas for jelling with Elise -- but the one I finally chose was unsatisfying, to say the least.   I made it, but I didn't really like it -- and didn't have enough time to snap it and write about it before the deadline.  So I missed out, although I know I'm going to be greatly inspired by all those who participated in either or both of these great events. 

I figured that even though I was too late for SHF,  I would do something that was both citrus and jelled.  I made an old family favorite, a lemon icebox cake called "Lemon Hoo-Ha".  This was a famed dessert of my mother's dearest lifelong friend, whom I think of as my "other mother".  It should have been wonderful; it always is.  It's just that I made certain adaptations.  The first issue was that I didn't want to use Lemon Jello, which is called for in the recipe.  And I didn't want to use powdered or even leaf gelatin for two reasons.  One is that I'm making an effort not to use cow-derived foods from non-organic sources, and I couldn't find organic gelatin.  The other is that I was making the dessert to bring as part of a dinner that we carried downtown to my brother and my sister-in-law, who just moved.  My sister-in-law is a pescetarian, and so their household is mostly meat-free.  That meant that even if I had found an organic meat-derived gelatin, such a substitution wouldn't work for its intended audience. 

The second adaptation had to do with eggs.  The recipe as written calls for beaten egg whites to be folded into a cool mixture, which is then chilled.  This is the old retro-chiffon, which we all ate merrily when none of us thought about salmonella and continually chowed down raw eggs in many guises, from caesar salad to chocolate mousse.  But since clearly nothing is safe anymore, I beat the egg whites with sugar in a double boiler, which made a smooth Italian meringue sort of mixture.  That part worked fine.

Back to the gelatin issue. I decided to make the dessert with pectin instead of gelatin.  I'm not going to go into details, but I was less than thrilled with the result.  My brother and SIL apparently loved it -- they both made nice noises, and she had seconds, in fact.  G doesn't like lemon desserts much anyway, and I (and I know I'm overly picky about these things) felt that the texture was gritty from the pectin, and that it added a strange flavor.  In addition, it just doesn't hold up the way gelatin does.  The dessert when chilled had a soft-set gel texture and could actually be cut in slices, but when I unwrapped the piece I'd brought home to photograph, it had turned into goop. 

I promise that sometime soon I will source an adequate gelatin substitute (kosher gelatin maybe?) so that I can make, photograph, and tell the real story behind Lemon Hoo-Ha  - the story of a friendship that goes far beyond mere dessert.

Ah well.  Perhaps I'll get in on Dine and Dish this month, and get together an End of the Month Egg on Toast Extravaganza.  Onward and upward; there's always next month, and the challenges that a new set of food memes will bring.

Comments

[Joe C]

Very sorry but, as your grateful brother, I disagree vehemently with both the content and tenor of this post. In fact, the vegetarian-adapted Lemon Hoo-Ha was a culinary triumph: feather-light, lemony, tart-sweet, creamy, not gritty at all (and did I mention delicious?)....Not only was it all those things, but it kept well in the fridge until last night, when we both ate some more. We also had Sunday lunch from the other excellent leftovers. Those weren't just "nice noises." Those were the sounds of deep enjoyment....One vegetarian substitute for gelatin is agar, by the way.

[Elizabeth W]

I heartily agree with the previous post. The dessert was spectacular- all the wonderful and rich lemon-flavor of lemon meringue pie, with an even fluffier texture. The fish- which you should also mention- is now my favorite recipe for salmon. A fantastic housewarming all-in-all.

[santos.]

hi julie--when you look for the appropriate kosher gelatin, take a close look at the package, as not all kosher gelatins are vegetarian, let alone vegan. some are make with fish bones and some with beef skins. there's a brand called emes kosher jel or summat like that which is made with carrageenan, a seaweed derivative (as is agar-agar).

[Julie]

Joe and Elizabeth,

Thanks so much for the lovely comments. G and I are very happy that you enjoyed the dinner -- we had a lot of fun. As for the dessert, I absolutely value your judgement and opinion. I'm just overly picky, and when things don't fit the image I have in mind, I have not yet succeeded in my quest...

Santos,

Thanks for the info on gelatin. I was hoping to find a fish-derived gelatin, since that would have worked for the particular dietary restrictions I was working with. Next time, I think I'll try agar or the Emes gel you recommended. And btw, I'm totally hooked on "I'm Feeling Lucky".

[santos.]

hi julie! i would be too, if i had such poetic keywords or perfect lyrics come up to my blog too :-)

[Andrea]

Try some agar-agar powder for vegetarian gelatin dishes :) It might be hard to find in most places, but should be doable in NY or via the web. It also makes a much nicer gelatin & jellies, I find (less prone to break apart and jigglier, oddly).

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