Aspic
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226132324
2008-07-16T23:28:12Z
66.60.114.2
[[Image:Aspic-with-eggs.jpg|thumb|right|An aspic with chicken and eggs. Photo by Anthony Georgeff.]]
'''Aspic''' is a dish in which ingredients are set into a [[gelatin]]e made from a [[meat]] [[stock (food)|stock]] or [[consommé]].
When cooled, stock made from meat congeals because of the natural gelatin found in the meat. The stock can be clarified with [[egg white]]s, and then filled and flavored just before the aspic sets. Almost any type of food can be set into aspics. Most common are meat pieces, [[fruit]]s, or [[vegetable]]s. Aspics are usually served on cold plates so that the gel will not melt before being eaten. A meat jelly that includes [[cream (food)|cream]] is called a ''chaud-froid.''
Nearly any type of meat can be used to make the gelatin: [[pork]], [[beef]], [[veal]], [[chicken]], or even [[fish]]. The aspic may need additional gelatin in order to set properly. Veal stock provides a great deal of gelatin; in making stock, veal is often included with other meat for that reason. Fish consommés usually have too little natural gelatin, so the fish stock may be double-cooked or supplemented. Since fish gelatin melts at a lower temperature than gelatins of other meats, fish aspic is more delicate and melts more readily in the mouth.
==History==
Historically meat jellies were made before fruit and vegetable jellies. By the [[Middle Ages]] at the latest, cooks had discovered that a thickened meat broth could be made into a jelly. A detailed recipe for aspic is found in ''[[Le Viandier]]'', written in around [[1375]].
Gelatin is also found in cartilage.
== See also ==
*[[Garde manger]]
*[[Head cheese]]
*[[Pork jelly]]
*[[Terrine]]
*[[Pâté]]
*[[Larks' Tongues in Aspic]]
== External links ==
*[http://www.gardemanger.com/aspic/aspic.html gardemanger.com]
*[http://latvians.com/en/Reading/LatviskaVirtuve/virtuve-01-sivena-galerts.php Latvian pork aspic]
[[Category:Cuisine of the Southern United States]]
[[Category:Food ingredients]]
[[Category:Meat]]
[[Category:Garde manger]]
{{unreferenced|date=August 2007}}
[[de:Aspik]]
[[es:Aspic]]
[[fr:Œufs en gelée]]
[[it:Aspic]]
[[ja:アスピック]]
[[no:Kabaret (matrett)]]
[[pt:Aspic]]
[[ru:Студень (блюдо)]]
[[sv:Aladåb]]