Do you guys remember when we made clam gelatin? No? Well, neither does Tom*, so I thought I would bust this one out of the archives so we can relive all the clammy moments.
*I’m being serious here. He really didn’t remember. And I think when someone makes clam gelatin, it is something that should be remembered!
So, today we have a sort of crazy little gelatin recipe that was fun to make.
This is Clam Aspic:
It was submitted to us by Veg-O-Matic, who writes:
Hiya!
Ever since I started reading Midcentury Menu, I’ve been keeping my beady little eyes peeled for, uh, suitable recipe contributions, and I think I’ve found one!
You’ve had tuna in gelatin!
You’ve had cabbage in gelatin!
You’ve had shrimp in gelatin!
You’ve even had tongue in gelatin! (ew)
But have you ever had clams in gelatin?
Yeah, didn’t think so.
Anyhoo, this recipe comes from Josie McCarthy’s Favorite TV Recipes. She apparently had a cooking show on TV in New York in the ‘50s. Sort of like Betty Feezor, though without all that southern charm. Most of the recipes in the book are at least halfway decent, but this one for clams in Jell-O just sounded… Well, it sounded like it would cause some epic Tomface™.
And that’s what it’s all about.
-Veg
AuthorRetroRuth
From Josie McCarthy’s Favorite TV Recipes
Tested Recipe!
[cooked-sharing]
Soften gelatin on cold water; add to boiling water in the bowl, stirring until dissolved. Add clams, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, pepper, and parsley, stirring until blended.
Pour into greased loaf pan; cool and chill until firm enough to cut into cubes or cube in the pan, or unmold and cube. Serve on salad greens; top with Russian dressing.
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Directions
Soften gelatin on cold water; add to boiling water in the bowl, stirring until dissolved. Add clams, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, pepper, and parsley, stirring until blended.
Pour into greased loaf pan; cool and chill until firm enough to cut into cubes or cube in the pan, or unmold and cube. Serve on salad greens; top with Russian dressing.
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Notes
Nice, huh? Let’s get started.
“What on earth are you making?”
“The Mid-Century Menu. Why?”
“The cats are all sitting around your feet.”
“Are they?”
“They are, and I think I know why. It smells like cat food in here.”
“Actually, I think you could say it smells like ‘Tom food’ since you are the one who is going to be eating this.”
“Funny. Real funny.”
“The cats think it is funny.”
“The cats just want some ‘Tom food.’”
This recipe actually was kind of funny. And by that, I mean it was fun. There were a lot of positives. I am not a big one for cooking with clams so it was nice to be able to do that. I have to say that this recipe was very unique. Also, it was very easy. And I have never put so much Worcestershire sauce into one gelatin recipe, so that was fun too.
See, so four nice things.
What else….Oh! I got to cube it to serve it, which was unique. And then I got to cover it with Russian dressing. I can honestly say it was the first time I had ever poured Russian dressing over cubes of clam aspic. And not a lot of people get to say they’ve done that, so that was fun.
Annnnnnd I think that is about it for positives.
So now we have our scary cubes of clam gelatin covered with Russian dressing. And Tom is excited.
Just look at this face.
Really, look at that face. You can tell he is loving it.
And you can also tell that he bears absolutely no ill will to Veg, the sender of this recipe.
None at all.
*Ahem*
Well…moving on….
The Verdict: Mostly Flavorless
Tom’s Tasting Notes:
Tasted mostly like Russian dressing. Which wasn’t bad. Steaky. Not as bad as I thought it would be. Mostly flavorless with a hint of clam and steak.
Thanks to Veg for sending in this recipe!
Clam Aspic is one way to start your day.
(I didn't say a good way)
Canned clams seem to have been used much more often in the 50’s and 60’s. Peg Bracken in her cookbooks had recipes using them…As for the Clam Aspic, I can’t get with eating COLD canned clams, and the red dressing makes the murky cubes all that more queasy-making. Thank you, though, this one was Special!
How could Tom not remember that? Even I remember it – I told everyone I knew about it and how disgusting it looked!!!! It’s probably a good think Tom has selective amnesia, or you’d never get him to try these hideous things!
I don’t know…I didn’t think it looked nearly as poisonous as it sounded.
Poor Tom. My daddy would say, “Offer it up for your sins.” (Snort.)
I’ve never seen Tom look so upset . . . .