How to decorate jellied meat? Beautiful and tasty jellied meat for the holiday table. Dish decorations

It’s so customary here that if it’s New Year, then there’s an abundance of snacks. And nothing decorates like this festive table like a beautiful aspic. Jellied chicken, meat, vegetables, tongue, mushrooms, fish, it can be prepared from a variety of products, poured into different portion molds, glasses, beautiful dishes, decorate in every possible way. This is truly a dish where you can show your imagination and creativity.

The most important thing in aspic is to cook delicious broth. The broth needs to be beautiful, transparent, tasty and aromatic. When cooking fish, meat or poultry, use roots: onions, celery, carrots, parsley root, from spices: Bay leaf, cloves, black peppercorns. It is equally important that the broth does not boil or bubble; you need to cook it over low heat so that it only gurgles slightly. Be sure to skim off the foam well during cooking, and strain the finished broth through cheesecloth several times.

In order to gelatinize the broth, be sure to carefully read the instructions on the gelatin package. I use instant gelatin, it is very convenient to work with, you don’t need to soak it, you just need to dissolve it in broth at room temperature and heat it to 60°. Broth with gelatin should not be brought to a boil!

To decorate the aspic, use colorful ingredients, for example, boiled carrots, bell peppers of different colors, bright greens, green peas, yellow sweet corn, olives, quail eggs, red caviar, citrus slices, pomegranate seeds. Vegetables can be cut using different molds: flowers, diamonds and various different shapes. After all the ingredients are beautifully laid out on the dish, you need to carefully pour in the not hot broth in a thin stream and put the aspic in the refrigerator until it hardens completely.

Grapes in pink champagne

Ingredients for 3 servings:

grapes - 3 bunches;
pink champagne - 300 ml.;
sheet gelatin - 5 pcs.

Soak leaf gelatin for 10 minutes in cold water. Pour 100 ml of pink champagne into a bowl and heat for 30 seconds. into the microwave oven (at full power).

Place soaked gelatin (squeezed out of water) into a bowl of hot champagne and stir until it is completely dissolved, and cool at the same time. If foam has formed on top, remove it with a spoon. Now mix the gelatin mixture with the rest of the champagne (200 ml), and if foam forms again, remove it with a spoon.

Place bunches of grapes in molds (tea glasses, cups) and fill with jelly champagne. Place the molds in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Before serving, dip the molds for 2 seconds. V hot water and, carefully pulling the tail of the grape, we easily remove the jelly. Serve any bunches of jelly grapes soft cheeses, tartlets with poultry pate and champagne.

Jellied salmon with almonds and raisins

salmon (fillet) - 500 g;
roasted almonds - a handful;
raisins (large, black) - a handful;
quail eggs - 5 pcs.;
carrots - 1 pc.;
bay leaf - 1 pc.;
cloves - 1 pc.;
black peppercorns - 5 pcs.;
salt - to taste;
water - 1 liter;
twigs fresh dill(parsley);
dish for aspic d=25 cm.

Wash the fish fillet, dry it, cut into large pieces. Peel the carrots and cut into ribbons using a vegetable cutter. Pour water into a saucepan, let it boil, add bay leaves, cloves, black peppercorns, salt to taste, and carrot strips. Boil the carrots for 5-7 minutes and carefully remove from the pan, otherwise they will boil and you will not be able to wrap beautiful spirals.

After removing the carrots, put pieces of fish into the broth, let it boil, cook for 10 minutes. Cook over low heat so that the broth does not become cloudy. Taste the broth and add more salt if necessary. Strain the fish broth, cool, add instant gelatin, put on low heat, heat to 60 degrees, stirring constantly. Do not bring to a boil!

Pour boiling water over almonds and raisins for ten minutes, strain, and dry with a paper towel. Boil quail eggs, peel and cut in half. In a dish for aspic, place pieces of fish, ribbons of carrots wrapped in a spiral, halves of quail eggs, scatter almonds and raisins over the form, garnish with sprigs of dill, pour in warm gelled broth and put in the refrigerator to set.

Jellied tongue

beef tongue - 1 pc.;
carrots - 2 pcs.;
onion - 1 pc.;
celery root - 1 pc.;
bay leaf - 1 pc.;
black peppercorns - 8–10 pcs.;
salt - to taste;
instant gelatin - 20 g.

Rinse the tongue well, put it in a saucepan, add water, bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes. Drain the water, put the tongue in a clean saucepan, add water, bring to a boil and cook over low heat for 2.5–3 hours (the broth should not boil, otherwise it will be cloudy). An hour before the end of cooking, add all the roots and spices (except salt) to the broth. Add salt 15 minutes before cooking.

Take out your tongue and pour it on immediately cold water so that it can be cleaned better. Under the stream cold water remove the skin from the tongue.

Strain one liter of broth, cool to room temperature, pour instant gelatin into it, put on low heat, heat to 60 degrees, stirring constantly. Do not bring to a boil!

Cut the tongue into pieces, place in a dish, decorate as desired and pour in jelly broth at room temperature so that the entire tongue is under the broth, otherwise the unfilled edges may dry out until the next day. Place the aspic in the refrigerator until completely hardened.

Tip: if you don't like tongue broth, you can replace it with chicken or beef broth.

Jellied seafood "aquarium"

Ingredients for 4 servings:

pike perch - 500 g;
octopus in brine;
sea cocktail in brine;
carrots - 1 pc.;
onion - 1 pc.;
bay leaf - 1 pc.;
black peppercorns - 5–7 pcs.;
salt - to taste;
instant gelatin - 20 g;
Red caviar;
fresh dill;
boiled quail eggs.

Wash the pike perch, peel it, cut it into small pieces, put it in a pan and add water so that it just covers the fish. Place the pan on the fire, bring to a boil over low heat, simmer for 5 minutes over low heat, remove the fish, drain all the broth.

Place carrots in a clean saucepan onion, pour 1.5 liters of water, bring to a boil. Add pieces of fish, peppercorns, bay leaf, and salt to the pan. Cook over very low heat so that the broth does not boil too much and turns out transparent. Boil the fish for about ten minutes, remove from the pan, separate from the bones, and fillet.

Strain 1 liter of broth and cool. Pour instant gelatin into the broth, put on low heat, heat to 60 degrees, stirring constantly. Do not bring to a boil!

Place pieces of fish, carrots, half quail egg, dill and pour gelled broth so that the fish is covered by 2-3 mm from above. Place the glasses in the refrigerator to harden. Then place octopus, squid, shrimp, red caviar on the frozen jelly and put it back in the refrigerator to harden. To create an “aquarium effect” in the glass, you can pour the broth with the ingredients in 2–3 layers.

Serve in glasses decorated with herbs, lemon slices and red caviar.

Chicken in tomato jelly

chicken thigh - 2 pcs.;
tomato juice - 0.75 l.;
bay leaf - 1 pc.;
black peppercorns - 5 pcs.;
cloves - 1 pc.;
ground chili pepper - to taste;
salt - to taste;
instant gelatin - 15 g;
boiled egg - for decoration;
green onions - for decoration.

Boil the chicken thighs until tender, cool, separate the meat from the bones and cut into small pieces.

Place all the spices in tomato juice, bring to a boil, and simmer for 3-4 minutes over low heat. Tomato juice Cool to room temperature, strain. Pour instant gelatin into it, put on low heat, heat to 60 degrees, stirring constantly. Do not bring to a boil! Cool to room temperature.

Pour a little juice into the bottom of cupcake tins (muffins or others) and put them in the refrigerator to set for about twenty minutes. When the bottom “sets”, place the pieces on top chicken meat, pour in the remaining juice and put in the refrigerator until completely frozen.

Before serving, remove the aspic from the mold, garnish with grated egg white, yolk and finely chopped green onions.

Any aspic belongs to the category of cold appetizers, and many housewives are happy to prepare such appetizers for the holiday table. After all, when it comes to any feast, family celebration or banquet, then what could be better than this spectacular, bright and tasty treat. It always makes the table festive, varied and is invariably a decoration for any celebration!

A huge advantage of aspic is that it can be prepared in advance. After all, setting the table for a celebration is always troublesome, and most dishes must be prepared immediately before the guests arrive in order to serve them piping hot.

And this appetizer can be prepared a day or even two before the holiday. It keeps well in the refrigerator during this time. And during this time it does not lose either its taste or aesthetic qualities!

Jellied is usually prepared from a clear, solidified broth, which is obtained by boiling meat on the bones. And if we prepare it from chicken, then we also add gelatin to the broth. That is, we first prepare the broth, then the jelly, which we then pour over the meat.

This is what distinguishes aspic from jellied meat; it requires additional gelling agents, including in this case- this is gelatin, which, by the way, can be either in powder and granules, or in plates.

But before we start looking at the recipes for this delicious snack, let's first prepare the chicken broth and jelly. Since these are the components that are almost the main ones in this dish.

How to make chicken broth for aspic

We will need (for the broth):

chicken with bones - 700 - 800 gr
water - 2 liters
onion - 1 pc.
carrots - 1 pc.
white roots (parsley or parsnip) - 1 root
bay leaf - 2 pcs
salt, black pepper to taste

Preparation:

First, make the chicken broth.

1. Cut chicken meat on the bones (thighs, drumsticks, wings) into two parts so that the necessary nutrients are better released from the bones. Remove the skin from them (only partially) so that the aspic does not have a white coating with fat. Pour in cold water and quickly bring to a boil.

2. After boiling, reduce the heat to low and cook for 2-3 hours over low heat, periodically removing foam and fat. During cooking, do not allow intense boiling; this will cause the broth to become cloudy.

3. To improve taste qualities broth, 30 minutes before readiness, add whole vegetables and parsley root, and add salt to taste.

4. 5 - 7 minutes before readiness, add bay leaf and pepper. You can add not only ground black pepper, but also peppercorns.

5. Cool the finished broth slightly and strain through several layers of gauze to prevent it from getting into the dish. small bones and excess fat.

Sometimes chicken or other broth turns out opaque. Appearance aspic from such a broth may not be up to par. To prevent this from happening, the broth must be clarified.

How to do it?

beat one or two egg whites (depending on its volume)
connect it with not big amount cooked and cooled broth
pour the mixture into the pan with the broth
remove from heat
without stirring, leave for 30 minutes
also, without stirring, strain it through several layers of gauze

The second way to clarify the broth.

beat one two egg whites
add a little salt and 1 teaspoon of 6% vinegar
pour the mixture into the broth
stir and bring to a boil
remove from heat
without stirring, let it brew for 30 minutes.
strain through several layers of gauze

In order for the aspic to freeze well, you need to make jelly from the finished broth.

How to make chicken jellied jelly

For the jelly:

broth - 800 gr
water - 1 glass
gelatin 40 gr

Preparation:

1. Pour gelatin into cold boiled water, stirring and leave to swell for 2 - 2.5 hours.

The proportion of water and gelatin is 6 to 1, that is, per liter of liquid you will need 40 grams of gelatin, that is, 4 tbsp. spoons without top.

A level tablespoon contains 10 grams of gelatin, and a heaped tablespoon contains 15 grams; in a teaspoon - 5 g.

2. Pour the swollen gelatin into the hot broth, approximately 70 degrees, and stir until completely dissolved. There is no need to bring the broth to a boil.

3. After which the jelly can be used to prepare aspic.

4. After pouring a layer of jelly over the chicken meat, let it stand for a while to cool, then put it in the refrigerator until it hardens completely.

Chicken aspic

We will need:

meat boiled chicken- 300 gr
chicken broth with jelly - 400 ml
boiled carrots - 2 pcs.
greenery
horseradish sauce - for serving

Preparation:

1. Prepare the jelly (recipe above) and pour it into a mold or portion molds, depending on how you will serve the dish.

2. When the jelly begins to partially harden at the walls of the mold, a so-called “shirt” is formed, that is, the jelly will harden at the bottom and walls by about 1 - 1.5 cm.

3. Drain the uncured part of the jelly into a separate bowl.

4. Place finely chopped chicken meat in the resulting form. When will you boil chicken thighs and wings for the broth, also add a piece chicken breast. It won’t give much fat, but thanks to it we will have tasty meat and, accordingly, aspic!

Pour the jelly over it again, put it in the refrigerator and let it harden.

5. Then remove the mold from the refrigerator again and lay out the next layer of beautifully chopped vegetables and herbs.

6. You can lay out as many layers as you want, and in the way your imagination tells you. Each layer will need to be cooled again to create a beautiful multi-layer filler.

7. Place the form and contents in the refrigerator. Let it harden.

8. Before serving, pour hot water into a bowl larger in volume than the form with the contents. Dip the mold into it for a few seconds, shake slightly and place the aspic on a plate.

9. Decorate fresh vegetables and greens. Serve with horseradish sauce.

If you don’t want to lay out the meat in beautiful layers, for example, when you cook aspic on weekdays, then simply disassemble the meat into fibers and place it in a mold. Then decorate with vegetables and fill with a layer of jelly of the required volume.

Jellied chicken and assorted meat

This recipe is often prepared cold cuts. In this case, the aspic turns out even more tasty and beautiful. Everything is prepared exactly the same as in the previous recipe. It just takes a few different ingredients.

We will need:

boiled chicken meat - 100 g
meat boiled beef- 100 gr
boiled tongue meat - 50 gr
ham - 50 gr
chicken jelly - 400 ml
green peas - 0.5 cans
bell pepper - 1 piece
cucumber (can be salted or pickled) - 1 pc.
boiled carrots - 2 pcs.
greenery
horseradish sauce - for serving

Preparation:

I will not describe the entire recipe, since it is exactly the same as the previous one. I will dwell only on some of the features.

Since this recipe uses four types different meats and vegetables, then take a deeper shape.

Think about how you will lay out the ingredients. Some of them can be disassembled into fibers, and some can be cut into thin plates.

Lay out the layers in the same way as in the previous recipe. Lay out the next layer, fill it with jelly, let it harden completely, and only then lay out the next layer. Of course, the process is not quick. But beauty takes time! There's nothing you can do about it.

You can assemble the snack either in a large general form or in a small portion.

And, you see, such a dish will not remain on the table without attention. Probably they themselves wouldn’t refuse this now!

Chicken fillet aspic with vegetables

We will need:

chicken fillet - 300 gr
chicken broth - 2 cups
gelatin - 20 gr
bell pepper - 1 piece
boiled carrots - 1 pc.
canned green peas - 0.5 cans
greenery
salt, pepper - to taste

Preparation:

1. Boil skinless chicken fillet according to the recipe presented above.

2. Dilute the gelatin in a small amount of cold water at room temperature, let it swell, this will take about 40 minutes. Then add the gelatin to the hot broth and, heating it, dissolve the gelatin until completely dissolved. But don't boil.

3. Divide the chicken fillet into fibers.

4. Cut vegetables according to how you want to prepare the dish.

5. There are several ways to collect the aspic.

Cut the vegetables into cubes, mix with chicken, place in a mold and pour over the prepared jelly.

chicken fillet can be cut into cubes, disassembled into fibers, and cut into plates
The aspic can be laid out in separate layers, pouring each of them separately and allowing to harden. Place each subsequent ingredient on the frozen previous layer. Each layer will need to be kept in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
You can first lay out layers of chicken and vegetables, then immediately pour a layer of broth with jelly over everything. In this case, the layers will be visually divided into a layer with filling and a layer of transparent jelly.

6. After collecting the aspic in the mold, pour the broth with gelatin over everything.

7. Place in the refrigerator until the dish hardens.

Chicken aspic with mayonnaise

We will need:

chicken legs- 2 pcs
chicken broth - 1 cup
mayonnaise - 1 glass
gelatin - 2 tbsp. spoons
carrots - 1 piece
onion - 1 pc.
garlic - optional
greenery
salt, pepper - to taste

Preparation:

1. Remove the skin from the legs, rinse, cover with cold water and cook the broth. During cooking, do not forget to remove the foam. Once boiling, reduce heat to low.

2. Cook for 1.5 hours. Then add the whole onion and carrots and cook for another 1 hour. At the end of cooking, add salt and pepper.

4. In a separate bowl, 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of gelatin with a small amount of cold boiled water and leave to swell for 1 hour.

5. Remove the chicken legs, carrots and onions from the prepared broth. Let cool.

6. Cut the carrots into the shape of stars or rounds. Separate chicken meat into fibers.

7. Add gelatin swollen in water to the broth, which has cooled to about 70 degrees. We need a glass of broth. It must be warmed together with gelatin, but not boiled. Mix.

8. B silicone molds Lay out a layer of mayonnaise with gelatin, about 2 cm thick. Place a round of carrots in the middle of each mold and place in the refrigerator until the first layer has completely hardened, about 20-30 minutes.

9. If you use garlic, you need to chop it and mix it with chicken meat, separated into fibers.

10. Take out the molds with the frozen first layer and place the next layer of chicken in them. Leave room for one more mayonnaise layer.

11. And fill the layer with chicken meat with jelly from chicken broth. Place it in the refrigerator again and wait until the layer hardens.

12. Lay out the last one - the mayonnaise layer. Let it harden in the refrigerator.

13. Dip the finished aspic directly into the mold for a few seconds in hot water, shake lightly and place nicely on shared dish. Decorate with greens.

Chicken aspic with sour cream

If you can cook aspic with mayonnaise, then naturally you can cook it with sour cream. So this one too delicious snack can be cooked with sour cream.

We will need:

boiled chicken fillet - 300 gr
chicken broth - 2 cups
sour cream - 1 glass
gelatin - 30 gr
any vegetables - for decoration
salt, pepper - to taste

Preparation:

1. Boil skinless chicken fillet according to the recipe given above. Then remove the fillet, cool slightly and separate into fibers. Strain the broth through several layers of gauze.

2. Prepare jelly. To do this, soak the gelatin in a small amount of water for 30-40 minutes.

3. After which we dilute half of the gelatin in chicken broth; see how to do this above. Dissolve the remaining gelatin with a small amount of water and mix with sour cream, which should be taken out in advance so that it warms to room temperature.

4. If desired, you can add the necessary spices to both the broth and sour cream.

5. You can use any vegetables for the aspic. The feathers look very nice bell pepper, stars cut out of carrots, cherry tomatoes, both fresh and canned. Green peas or corn, olives or olives, and fresh herbs will help make the dish elegant.

6. Prepare the mold and place what you have prepared on the bottom. It’s better to post using your imagination. When the jelly hardens, we will turn the mold over and the fruits of your imagination will be visible, so if you are preparing a dish for a celebration, then it’s worth trying!

7. You can place the next layer of chicken meat on top, then vegetables again, then pour the contents with chicken broth and gelatin.

Or you can pour the jelly over the vegetables first, let the first layer harden in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Then lay out the chicken fillet and pour the broth again, let it harden. Then the next layer of vegetables, broth and back into the refrigerator.

Choose any method. The main thing is, don’t forget that we still have our turn waiting sour cream jelly, so you need to leave room for it.

8. When you have poured the last layer of chicken broth with jelly, put the mold in the refrigerator for 1.5 hours so that the jelly has time to harden thoroughly.

9. Then take out the mold and pour sour cream sauce with gelatin. Place the mold in the refrigerator and leave there until completely cooled, but not less than 3 hours.

10. Before serving, lower the form with the aspic into hot water, remove, shake slightly and turn over onto a plate.

11. Decorate with vegetables and herbs.

Chicken fillet jellied Novgorod style

This is an old Russian recipe, and it is not often found in literature. Therefore, I share the recipe with great pleasure!

We will need:

boiled chicken fillet (breast) - 200 g
pickled tomatoes - 4 pcs.
tomato pickle - 1 cup
chicken broth - 1 cup
gelatin - 1 tbsp. spoon
salt, pepper - to taste
green peas - 0.5 cans
greenery

Preparation:

1. Soak gelatin in a glass of cold boiled water and leave for 1 - 1.5 hours to swell. Then divide it into two parts.

2. Prepare two types of jelly. The first one is based on chicken broth, the second one is based on tomato brine. The marinade of these species is slightly sweet, and the fruits are small, just what you need!

We remember how to make jelly. Detailed description This is given at the beginning of the article.

3. Pour a layer of marinade jelly into the mold, lay out the tomatoes, pour in the jelly again and let it harden.

4. Divide the chicken fillet into fibers and place in the next layer, pour over a layer of chicken jelly. And let it harden again. If desired, you can add a boiled egg, cut into slices.

5. Before serving, lower the jelly mold into hot water for a few seconds, then shake it slightly and place the aspic on a dish. Decorate green peas and fresh herbs.

Jellied chicken and meat rolls in Arkhangelsk style

This recipe, like the previous one, has been in my possession for a long time. Its description is also not often found in literature and on the Internet.

We will need:

chicken fillet without skin - 200 gr
beef pulp - 200 gr
chicken or meat jelly - 0.5 liters
carrots - 1 - 2 pcs
olives
greenery
salt, pepper - to taste

Preparation:

1. Chicken fillet without skin and beef, better tenderloin, cut into thin slices across the grain.

2. Beat off the layers of meat and chicken. It is better to beat chicken meat by wrapping it in film. The flesh of the meat is tender and can be easily damaged.

3. Place a layer of beef on the layer chicken fillet, roll up and tie with kitchen string. Or you can swap the meat.

4. Boil the beef until cooked, add salt and pepper at the end of cooking.

5. Remove the finished rolls from the broth and place under a press to drain off excess liquid. The rolls should cool completely.

6. Then cut off the thread and cut the rolls into pieces 1 cm thick. Or you can leave them entirely.

7. Pour a thin layer of jelly into the mold and allow it to harden completely. Then lay out pieces of chopped roll, decorate with rounds boiled carrots, cucumbers, peppers, olives and herbs.

8. Pour a thin layer of jelly again. Let it harden.

You need to fill the roll several times until the layer of jelly above it is 0.5 cm.

9. Serve with horseradish sauce.

Faberge Jellied Eggs

By preparing such an appetizer, you will delight your loved ones not only with a delicious dish, but also with its beautiful appearance.

We will need:

eggs (empty eggshells) - 10 pcs.
boiled chicken fillet - 200 gr
chicken broth - 1 cup
gelatin - 20 gr
canned corn - 0.5 cans
canned peas - 0.5 cans
bell pepper - 1 piece
boiled carrots - 1 pc.
fresh greens
salt, pepper - to taste

Preparation:

1. Boil the skinless chicken fillet in advance and prepare the broth.

2. Soak gelatin in a small amount of cold boiled water for 40 minutes.

3. Add gelatin and water to the broth and warm it thoroughly until the gelatin dissolves. But don't boil.

4. Cut the pepper into feathers, carrots into stars. Drain the peas and corn and dry on a paper towel. Separate the greens into small sprigs.

5. Cut the chicken fillet into neat cubes or separate it into fibers.

6. Wash the egg with soap and dry it, then pierce it with a thick needle from the thick edge, make a hole of such a size that it is convenient to put the filling into it.

Pour out the contents of the eggs, rinse the shells inside and out with soda solution, pour boiling water over them and let dry.

7. Fill the eggs 3/4 full, beautifully placing the ingredients inside.

8. Using a funnel or a scoop with a spout, pour the gelatin mixture into the egg, filling it to the top.

9. Place the eggs in a wire rack and let them harden in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

10. Take out and peel the shell.

11. Place the eggs on a plate and, if desired, garnish with the remaining vegetables, herbs, peas and corn.

Eggs can be stuffed as your imagination dictates. And from those components that you will want to have on your table. Agree that such a dish looks quite worthy and will take the same worthy place on the festive table.

In a similar way, you can prepare the aspic in a bottle or plastic glass, or in any other suitable form.

The recipe remains unchanged.

Ideas for decorating chicken aspic

You can add mushrooms as an ingredient. Whole mushrooms look very beautiful when cut. Therefore, small porcini mushrooms or champignons will look great in this aspic.

If you place the whole boiled meat in the center egg, then on the cut you can see such a beautiful picture.

You can add it to jelly molds various berries, such as cranberries or lingonberries. This is what a dish might look like if you add pomegranate seeds to it.

Various shapes holiday dish You can add it using unusually shaped salad bowls. Agree that anyone will enjoy such a snack.

By rolling fresh slices of cucumber and boiled carrots into such beautiful curls, you can perfectly decorate the appetizer and create a certain sophisticated look for the entire dish as a whole.

And you can create something like this beautiful shapes. The main thing is not to be afraid to use your imagination and then you will certainly end up with something unusual and original!

And in conclusion, I want to give a recipe for horseradish sauce, which is almost always served with aspic.

Horseradish sauce

We will need:

horseradish - 100 gr
water - 0.5 cups
vinegar 3% - 0.5 cups
sugar - 1 teaspoon
salt - 1 teaspoon

Preparation:

Wash the horseradish root thoroughly, remove the skin and grate it. Fill hot water and cover with a lid. When the water has cooled, add sugar, salt and vinegar. To stir thoroughly.

Keep refrigerated.

Bon appetit!

Or aspic are almost obligatory “guests” at every festive feast. Everyone loves them, young and old, so on the eve of the holidays the kitchen always smells appetizing with aromatic broth, and the housewife is intensely thinking about how to decorate the jellied meat. It is clear that the dish will be eaten without additional tricks. But every cook wants his masterpiece to be not only tasty, but also beautiful.

The best recipe

Before you decorate the jellied meat, you need to cook it. Each chef has his own ideas about what should be included in the base. However, most of them agree that the most delicious jellied meat It is obtained from a broth cooked from several types of meat. For him they take veal legs, chicken giblets or wings and a piece of lean pork. If you are using this recipe for the first time, add the ingredients in equal parts. Later you can change the ratio in favor of one of the components.

Preparation of jellied meat begins with boiling beef; it takes longer to cook than other types of meat. Pour cold water over the legs and bring to a boil over low heat. After about forty minutes, pork is added to the pan, and after another half an hour, chicken. Additional ingredients used when preparing jellied meat are whole onions and carrots, bay leaves and allspice. A sign that the base for jellied meat is ready is the ideal softness of the meat.

Secrets of aspic

The transparency of the broth is the main thing in preparing aspic dishes, since it makes no sense to decorate jellied meat that turns out cloudy, because the original inclusions simply will not be visible. Achieving transparency is not difficult, you just need to know a few subtleties.

If the meat was frozen before preparing the jellied meat, it cannot be used immediately. First it must thaw completely, and naturally. Then the base is washed and only after that it is sent to the stove.

To obtain a light and clean broth, the first water after boiling must be drained.

You cannot stir the broth while cooking, and the boil should be quiet. The foam is constantly removed - it is the main “clouding” of the jellied meat. The finished broth must be filtered.

Some cooks, to ensure the transparency of the meat broth, add a small pinch of citric acid into the broth before boiling.

Decoration products

Don’t feel shy about the upcoming decoration, as decorating jellied meat is very interesting, exciting and fun. There are no restrictions - except for the compatibility of products with jellied meat. Firstly, there is no need to introduce too much variety into the decoration. Ten different tastes will “overwhelm” the beauty of the dish itself. Secondly, avoid products with too strong of their own taste - for the same reason.

Different products are sometimes used to decorate aspic and fish aspic. So, slices of lime and lemon go very well with the latter. And in the decoration of jellied meat they are used mainly in the case when pork was used for the broth.

Gherkins with capers allow you to create almost artistic pictures from jellied meat. The rings and strips of sweet pepper look very interesting in the design. Almost no decor is complete without the participation of greenery, most often used in twigs, but sometimes chopped. Canned corn, peas, variegated beans, black olives, cranberries and pomegranate seeds add brilliance to jellied meat. And most importantly, all these products only highlight and complement the taste of the jellied meat itself.

How to make chamomile from an egg?

Many people decorate their culinary creations with boiled eggs. However, decorators usually limit themselves to cutting eggs into circles, which are artistically laid out in bowls. Such a decision also has a right to exist. But a dish decorated with a chamomile cut from an egg will look much more appetizing.

First it is boiled hard, but not longer than five minutes. This way the yolk will remain bright and will not have a blue border. After cooling, the egg is peeled, and the cook arms himself with a short knife with a narrow tip.

You need to step back a little from either end of the egg and cut out the petals with smooth, not too deep and wavy movements. When the cut is closed, the workpiece is slightly pressed down and the chamomile is removed from the rest of the egg. The second can be cut from its other end. The leftovers are used either in some salad or for other decorations. The center of the flowers can be made from ground yolk.

Carrots to the studio!

The bright and sunny root vegetable is also often used to decorate aspic. Because decorating jellied meat with carrots means adding catchiness and seductiveness to it. Housewives usually cut the boiled vegetable into slices. Particularly diligent ones form stars or depict a pattern of stripes.

But, since we are already talking about the floral theme, let’s look at how to build a lush rose from a primitive root vegetable - an ideal decoration for jellied meat and aspic.

First, the carrots are boiled, separately from the dish being decorated, since they need to be cooked unpeeled. When cooled and without skin, the vegetable is cut into the thinnest slices possible. The circles are immersed in a weak salt solution for half an hour - this step preserves their bright color and makes the rings more flexible and less brittle. At the next stage, the workpieces are dried on napkins until they are almost completely free of moisture. Then the “petals” are rolled into something like a roll. Circles of larger diameter are placed outside with a gradual reduction towards the center. The bottom of the bundle is secured with a toothpick, after which the carrot circles are bent outward until you get a charming rose.

The best decoration for jellied meat for the New Year

The main holiday of the year can safely be considered a failure if aspic is not placed on the table. And even if it is there, but it looks everyday, a certain internal dissatisfaction remains. Delicious jellied meat must also remind you of the reason for the holiday. The most striking reminder will be decorating the dish in the shape of a Christmas tree.

It is clear that not everyone will be able to find the appropriate forms. And it’s not a fact that there will be one. However, you can easily achieve the desired effect by making the layout yourself.

Take a dish of sufficient size and regular baking foil. We roll it up in several layers to make the layer strong enough. We lay out the silhouette of a Christmas tree from a foil strip. For greater insulation, we knead the most primitive and sticky dough, without worrying about its taste. Using this “plasticine” we secure the sides to the outside of the plate.

Now place the meat components inside the contour and fill it with well-cooled broth. When the jellied meat has finally “set”, we clean off the dough, remove the sides and decorate our Christmas tree. We “draw” garlands across it with chopped pickles or peas. The lanterns on them will be pomegranate seeds, cranberries, canned corn. No gourmet can resist such a temptation!

Inspirational patterns

If you don’t believe in your artistic abilities and don’t know how to serve jellied meat, the decoration can be made simple, but no less beautiful. Boil the eggs, separate the whites from the yolks and grate them separately. We perform the same manipulation in a separate saucer with boiled carrots. Now we put the meat in the container chosen for the jellied meat and scatter the decorating material over it - stripes, zigzags, circles, whatever suits your taste. IN last resort pour in the broth. This must be done carefully, along the walls, so as not to blur the patterns.

Portioned jellied meat

To preserve the beauty of the dish on the table during its consumption, housewives use molds - then the dish will not suffer from cutting. Even the containers in which you bake muffins are suitable. Carrot stars and canned peas are placed at the bottom. You can place small sprigs of dill or parsley between them. The decor is pressed down with meat pieces and filled with broth. After complete hardening, the jellied meat is removed from the molds: neat and appetizing pyramids are obtained. To make removal easier, you can dip the mold in hot water for a second (of course, so that it doesn’t spill inside). And for “bedding” you can use lettuce leaves.

Big but original

If you don’t know how many guests are expected, or you don’t have time to bother with portioned jellied meat, you can make it no less beautiful, but for everyone. Instead of a regular bowl, use a plastic lid from the packaging in which the cakes are sold. They have these longitudinal hollows into which carrot sticks can be placed. At the bottom a composition is created using any available materials. Particularly successful will be those that involve sprigs of dill, rings of bright bell pepper and corn. After removing the jellied meat from the container, you will get a nice turret decorated on all sides.

Layered grace

We are used to seeing only desserts in color. However, this idea is also great for decorating jellied meat. Especially poured into rings or molds. In this case, since there is a turning over, the bottom layer is made decorative. Of course, unsweetened, based on broth with gelatin, to which cream is added (if the layer is intended to be matte) or food coloring, if you want to maintain transparency.

The next layer is laid only after the first one has completely hardened. It will be meat, preferably accompanied bright vegetables or greenery. The broth is poured in last, and well cooled, so that it does not melt the first layer and blur its boundaries.

After removing the jellied meats from the molds or rings, the top of each of them can be additionally decorated with slices of pickled cucumbers, olives, canned corn- depending on what idea was embodied in the decor.

Its huge advantage is that it can be prepared in advance. After all, setting the table for a celebration is always troublesome, and most dishes must be prepared immediately before the guests arrive in order to serve them piping hot.

This is how it differs from jellied meat; it requires additional gelling agents, in this case gelatin, which, by the way, can be in powder and granules, or in plates.

But before we start looking at the recipes for this delicious snack, let's first prepare the chicken broth and jelly. Since these are the components that are almost the main ones in this dish.

We will need (for the broth):

chicken with bones – 700 – 800 gr
water - 2 liters
onion - 1 pc.
carrots - 1 pc.
white roots (parsley or parsnip) - 1 root
bay leaf - 2 pcs
salt, black pepper to taste

Preparation:

First, make the chicken broth.

3. To improve the taste of the broth, 30 minutes before readiness, add whole vegetables and parsley root, and add salt to taste.

4. 5 - 7 minutes before readiness, add bay leaf and pepper. You can add not only ground black pepper, but also peppercorns.

5. Cool the finished broth slightly and strain through several layers of gauze to prevent small bones and excess fat from getting into the dish.

Sometimes chicken or other broth turns out opaque. The appearance of the aspic from such a broth may not be up to par. To prevent this from happening, the broth must be clarified. How to do it?

beat one or two egg whites (depending on its volume)
combine it with a small amount of boiled and cooled broth
pour the mixture into the pan with the broth
remove from heat
without stirring, leave for 30 minutes
also, without stirring, strain it through several layers of gauze

The second way to clarify the broth.

beat one two egg whites
add a little salt and 1 teaspoon of 6% vinegar
pour the mixture into the broth
stir and bring to a boil
remove from heat
without stirring, let it brew for 30 minutes.
strain through several layers of gauze

In order for the aspic to freeze well, you need to make jelly from the finished broth.

How to make jelly for aspic

For the jelly:

broth - 800 gr
water - 1 glass
gelatin 40 gr

Preparation:

1. Pour gelatin into cold boiled water, stirring and leave to swell for 2 - 2.5 hours.

The proportion of water and gelatin is 6 to 1, that is, per liter of liquid you will need 40 grams of gelatin, that is, 4 tbsp. spoons without top.

A level tablespoon contains 10 grams of gelatin, and a heaped tablespoon contains 15 grams; in a teaspoon - 5 g.

2. Pour the swollen gelatin into the hot broth, approximately 70 degrees, and stir until completely dissolved. There is no need to bring the broth to a boil.

3. After which the jelly can be used to prepare aspic.

4. After pouring a layer of jelly over the chicken meat, let it stand for a while to cool, then put it in the refrigerator until it hardens completely.

Chicken aspic

We will need:

boiled chicken meat - 300 g
chicken broth with jelly - 400 ml
boiled carrots - 2 pcs
greenery
horseradish sauce - for serving

Preparation:

1. Prepare the jelly (recipe above) and pour it into a mold or portion molds, depending on how you will serve the dish.

2. When the jelly begins to partially harden at the walls of the mold, a so-called “shirt” is formed, that is, the jelly will harden at the bottom and walls by about 1 - 1.5 cm.

3. Drain the uncured part of the jelly into a separate bowl.

4. Place finely chopped chicken meat in the resulting form. When you boil the chicken thighs and wings for the broth, add a piece of chicken breast as well. It won’t give much fat, but thanks to it we will have tasty meat and, accordingly, aspic!

Pour the jelly over it again, put it in the refrigerator and let it harden.

5. Then remove the mold from the refrigerator again and lay out the next layer of beautifully chopped vegetables and herbs.

6. You can lay out as many layers as you want, and in the way your imagination tells you. Each layer will need to be cooled again to create a beautiful multi-layered dish.

7. Place the form and contents in the refrigerator. Let it harden.

8. Before serving, pour hot water into a bowl larger in volume than the form with the contents. Dip the mold into it for a few seconds, shake slightly and place it on a plate.

9. Garnish with fresh vegetables and herbs. Serve with horseradish sauce.

If you don’t want to lay out the meat in beautiful layers, for example, when you cook it on weekdays, then simply disassemble the meat into fibers and place it in a mold. Then decorate with vegetables and fill with a layer of jelly of the required volume.

Cold cuts

Often this recipe is used to prepare cold cuts. In this case, the aspic turns out even more tasty and beautiful. Everything is prepared exactly the same as in the previous recipe. It just takes a few different ingredients.

We will need:

boiled chicken meat - 100 g
boiled beef meat - 100 g
boiled tongue meat - 50 g
ham – 50 gr
chicken jelly – 400 ml
green peas - 0.5 cans
bell pepper - 1 piece
cucumber (can be salted or pickled) - 1 pc.
boiled carrots - 2 pcs
greenery
horseradish sauce - for serving

Preparation:

I will not describe the entire recipe, since it is exactly the same as the previous one. I will dwell only on some of the features.

Since this recipe uses four different types of meat and vegetables, use a deeper pan.

Think about how you will lay out the ingredients. Some of them can be disassembled into fibers, and some can be cut into thin plates.

You can assemble the snack either in a large general form or in a small portion.

And, you see, such a dish will not remain on the table without attention. Probably they themselves wouldn’t refuse this now!

Chicken roll with vegetables

We will need:

chicken fillet – 300 gr
chicken broth - 2 cups
gelatin - 20 g
bell pepper - 1 piece
boiled carrots - 1 pc.
canned green peas - 0.5 cans
greenery
salt, pepper - to taste

Preparation:

1. Boil skinless chicken fillet according to the recipe presented above.

3. Divide the chicken fillet into fibers.

4. Cut vegetables according to how you want to prepare the dish.

5. There are several ways to collect the aspic.

Cut the vegetables into cubes, mix with chicken, place in a mold and pour over the prepared jelly.

chicken fillet can be cut into cubes, disassembled into fibers, and cut into plates
it can be laid out in separate layers, pouring each of them separately and allowing to harden. Place each subsequent ingredient on the frozen previous layer. Each layer will need to be kept in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
You can first lay out layers of chicken and vegetables, then immediately pour a layer of broth with jelly over everything. In this case, the layers will be visually divided into a layer with filling and a layer of transparent jelly.

6. After putting it in shape, pour the broth with gelatin over everything.

7. Place in the refrigerator until the dish hardens.

Aspic with mayonnaise for the festive table

We will need:

chicken legs - 2 pcs
chicken broth - 1 cup
mayonnaise - 1 glass
gelatin - 2 tbsp. spoons
carrots - 1 piece
onion - 1 pc.
garlic - optional
greenery
salt, pepper - to taste

Preparation:

1. Remove the skin from the legs, rinse, cover with cold water and cook the broth. During cooking, do not forget to remove the foam. Once boiling, reduce heat to low.

2. Cook for 1.5 hours. Then add the whole onion and carrots and cook for another 1 hour. At the end of cooking, add salt and pepper.

4. In a separate bowl, 1 tbsp. Pour a spoonful of gelatin with a small amount of cold boiled water and leave to swell for 1 hour.

5. Remove the chicken legs, carrots and onions from the prepared broth. Let cool.

6. Cut the carrots into the shape of stars or rounds. Separate chicken meat into fibers.

7. Add gelatin swollen in water to the broth, which has cooled to about 70 degrees. We need a glass of broth. It must be warmed together with gelatin, but not boiled. Mix.

8. Place a layer of mayonnaise with gelatin in silicone molds, about 2 cm thick. Place a round of carrots in the middle of each mold and place in the refrigerator until the first layer has completely hardened, about 20-30 minutes.

9. If you use garlic, you need to chop it and mix it with chicken meat, separated into fibers.

10. Take out the molds with the frozen first layer and place the next layer of chicken in them. Leave room for one more mayonnaise layer.

11. Pour jelly from chicken broth over the layer with chicken meat. Place it in the refrigerator again and wait until the layer hardens.

12. Lay out the last mayonnaise layer. Let it harden in the refrigerator.

13. Place the finished aspic directly in the mold into hot water for a few seconds, shake slightly and place nicely on a common dish. Decorate with greens.

Chicken aspic with sour cream

If you can cook a dish with mayonnaise, then naturally you can cook it with sour cream. They cook it, and it’s eaten in literally 10 minutes, it turns out so delicious... So this delicious snack can be prepared with sour cream.

We will need:

boiled chicken fillet – 300 g
chicken broth - 2 cups
sour cream - 1 glass
gelatin - 30 g
any vegetables - for decoration
salt, pepper - to taste

Preparation:

1. Boil skinless chicken fillet according to the recipe given above. Then remove the fillet, cool slightly and separate into fibers. Strain the broth through several layers of gauze.

2. Prepare jelly. To do this, soak the gelatin in a small amount of water for 30-40 minutes.

4. If desired, you can add the necessary spices to both the broth and sour cream.

5. You can use any vegetables for the dish. Bell pepper feathers, stars cut out of carrots, and cherry tomatoes, both fresh and canned, look very beautiful. Green peas or corn, olives or olives, and fresh herbs will help make the dish elegant.

7. You can place the next layer of chicken meat on top, then vegetables again, then pour the contents with chicken broth and gelatin.

Choose any method. The main thing is not to forget that we still have sour cream jelly waiting for its turn, so we need to leave room for it.

8. When you have poured the last layer of chicken broth with jelly, put the mold in the refrigerator for 1.5 hours so that the jelly has time to harden thoroughly.

9. Then take out the mold and pour sour cream sauce with gelatin. Place the mold in the refrigerator and leave there until completely cooled, but not less than 3 hours.

10. Before serving, lower the form with the aspic into hot water, remove, shake slightly and turn over onto a plate.

11. Decorate with vegetables and herbs.

Chicken fillet “Novgorod style” according to an old recipe

This is an old Russian recipe, and it is not often found in literature. Therefore, I share the recipe with great pleasure!

We will need:

boiled chicken fillet (breast) - 200 g
pickled tomatoes - 4 pcs
tomato pickle - 1 cup
chicken broth - 1 cup
gelatin - 1 tbsp. spoon
salt, pepper - to taste
green peas - 0.5 cans
greenery

Preparation:

1. Soak gelatin in a glass of cold boiled water and leave for 1 - 1.5 hours to swell. Then divide it into two parts.

2. Prepare two types of jelly. The first one is based on chicken broth, the second one is based on tomato brine. I use tomatoes and marinade from or. The marinade of these species is slightly sweet, and the fruits are small, just what you need!

We remember how to make jelly. We give a detailed description of this at the beginning of the article.

3. Pour a layer of marinade jelly into the mold, lay out the tomatoes, pour in the jelly again and let it harden.

4. Divide the chicken fillet into fibers and place in the next layer, pour over a layer of chicken jelly. And let it harden again. If desired, you can add a boiled egg, cut into slices.

5. Before serving, lower the jelly mold into hot water for a few seconds, then shake it slightly and place the aspic on a dish. Garnish with green peas and fresh herbs.

Assorted rolls “Arkhangelsk style”

This recipe, like the previous one, has been in my possession for a long time. Its description is also not often found in literature and on the Internet.

We will need:

skinless chicken fillet – 200 g
beef pulp - 200 gr
chicken or meat jelly - 0.5 liters
carrots - 1 - 2 pcs
olives
greenery
salt, pepper - to taste

Preparation:

1. Skinless chicken fillet and beef, preferably tenderloin, cut into thin slices across the grain.

2. Beat off the layers of meat and chicken. It is better to beat chicken meat by wrapping it in film. The flesh of the meat is tender and can be easily damaged.

3. Place a layer of chicken fillet on the layer of beef, roll it into a roll and tie it with culinary thread. Or you can swap the meat.

4. Boil the beef until cooked, add salt and pepper at the end of cooking.

5. Remove the finished rolls from the broth and place under a press to drain off excess liquid. The rolls should cool completely.

6. Then cut off the thread and cut the rolls into pieces 1 cm thick. Or you can leave them entirely.

7. Pour a thin layer of jelly into the mold and allow it to harden completely. Then lay out pieces of chopped roll, garnish with rounds of boiled carrots, cucumbers, peppers, olives and herbs.

8. Pour a thin layer of jelly again. Let it harden.

You need to fill the roll several times until the layer of jelly above it is 0.5 cm.

9. Serve with horseradish sauce.

Faberge eggs

By preparing such an appetizer, you will delight your loved ones not only with a delicious dish, but also with its beautiful appearance.

We will need:

eggs (empty eggshells) - 10 pcs.
boiled chicken fillet – 200 g
chicken broth - 1 cup
gelatin - 20 g
canned corn - 0.5 cans
canned peas - 0.5 cans
bell pepper - 1 piece
boiled carrots - 1 pc.
fresh greens
salt, pepper - to taste