Salad Molds Add Sparkle to Your Table

Given its ability to fit in well with a vast array of dishes, the salad's increasing popularity over the years comes as no surprise. Salads are no longer thought of as being solely side dish fare, but have attained main dish status with the addition of meat, cheese and an assortment of vegetables.

Present-day salads can range from the simple tossed greens, fruit and seafood varieties to the more exquisite molded salad, which is made with commercially prepared gelatine. Molded salads, which can be served on their own as a light lunch or as a side dish with dinner, are impressive chilled masterpieces when presented at the table.

The Basics to Molding and Unmolding Gelatine Salads

The beauty of a gelatine salad comes from its mold. Traditional decorative metal molds, designed specifically for gelatine, come in a variety of sizes, shapes and designs such as pineapples, seashells, leaves and stars. Metal fluted cake pans, loaf pans, muffin pans, juice or vegetable cans as well as any other metal can or baking pan sitting in your cabinets can be used to create shimmering delights for friends and family. Glass and plastic containers will work too; however, keep in mind these containers will increase the amount of chilling time needed. The only real limit in choosing what mold to use is size, as larger molds tend to be difficult to unmold.

Molded salads are simple to prepare but as with all recipes, disasters can occur. An improperly prepared or chilled mold, which is the number one cause of failure, will often result in either runny gelatine or gelatine that is unwilling to leave the mold.

Molding and unmolding gelatine salads, according to Lisa Kroll, of Ocean City, NJ, requires making adjustments to the amount of water added when preparing the gelatine mixture.

"Decreasing the amount of cold water added when preparing the gelatine mixture eliminates the risk of runny gelatine. For a 4-serving size package of gelatine, I would recommend using ¾ cup of cold water. For an 8-serving package, 1 ½ cups of cold water should be sufficient."

To avoid having a stubborn salad refusing to make a glorious and shimmering exit from the mold Kroll says, "Allow gelatine to set for several hours, preferably overnight. The top shouldn't be sticky and the gelatine shouldn't flop around in the mold when tilted from side to side. When gelatine is completely chilled, take a small knife, which has been dipped in warm water, and loosen gelatine from around the top edge of the mold or dip the mold in warm, not hot, water to the rim, for about 10 seconds. Lift the mold from water and shake slightly to loosen gelatine from the sides. Invert mold onto a chilled serving platter, moistened with cold water, so that you can easily lift its edges to place garnishes underneath before setting on the table."

The Main Ingredient

Gelatine, which can be extracted from boiling either seaweed or bones and connective tissue of animals, is used as a solidifier agent in the food industry for in the preparation of candies, canned fish and meat, ice cream and other frozen desserts. Made available to housewives in 1890, it is most often used for making jellylike desserts and salads.

Gelatine derived from animals, which is most popular with US consumers, can be purchased in flavoured or unflavoured envelope packets. Gelatine that is derived from plants, which is called agar, is sold as either a powder or dried threadlike strips.

After being dissolved in boiling water, gelatine gradually thickens until it becomes solidified as it cools. In recipes, this gradual thickening process is used as an indication for when to add additional ingredients, if there are any, as well as when it's ready to be served.

There are five phrases commonly used in recipes describing the gradual stages of the gelatine's thickness. They are "chill until syrupy", "chill until slightly thickened", "chill until thickened", "chill until set but not firm" and "chill until firm".

The following descriptions for these stages should help make gelatine recipes easier to understand. When a recipe says, "chill until syrupy" it means the gelatine should have a thick syrup consistency. "Chill until slightly thickened" means the gelatine should be left to chill until it resembles the consistency of unbeaten egg whites. "Chill until thickened" means that the gelatine should be thick enough that when you drag a spoon through it a noticeable impression is left behind. "Chill until set but not firm" is indicative of gelatine which is sticky when touched and jiggles from side to side when the container is tilted. And lastly, "Chill until firm" would be gelatine that doesn't stick to your finger or jiggle when the container is tilted.

Adding Salad Ingredients to Gelatine

Gelatine salads can be made with various extra add-in ingredients customized to suit your taste. Diced, shredded or chopped vegetables, diced or chopped fruits or chopped nuts are most frequently used.

Some of the more popular vegetable combinations used include: sliced celery and grated carrots; sliced celery, chopped cabbage and sliced pitted olives; sliced celery, chopped cucumber and chopped pimento; sliced celery and chopped green bell pepper; cauliflower florets and diced pimento; cucumber and tomato slices; canned mushrooms, drained and pimento strips; diced pimento, diced green bell pepper and chopped tomato; sliced celery and sliced olives.

A word of caution when adding fruit, you must first cook fresh or frozen pineapple, kiwi, ginger root, papaya, figs or guava before adding them to your salad. They contain an enzyme that prevents the gelatine from setting. Cooking them first deactivates the enzyme.

To avoid having your add-ins from sinking to the bottom or floating to the top of the mold, first refrigerate and chill gelatine in a bowl until it has thickened, the consistency should be thick enough that when a spoon is drawn through it leaves a noticeable impression.

When gelatine is chilled properly, fold your add-ins into the chilled gelatine and pour into the mold or layer gelatine and the add-ins in the mold. Place mold back into the refrigerator and chill until firm.

A Few Words About Garnishes

After gently coaxing your gelatine mold to drop gracefully to the serving platter you will no doubt want to slip lettuce or other green leaves beneath without cracking your mold into pieces. To do so, before unmolding your shimmering salad chill the serving platter and moisten it with a bit of cold water. In doing so, you will be able to lift the mold to center it on the platter as well as place green garnishing underneath.

If using a fluted mold, you can place a bowl mayonnaise into the center and place a few sprigs of greenery such as celery leaves, curly endive or chopped scallions on top.

Some additional garnishing ideas for placing around the salad include: radish rosebuds, quartered tomatoes, curly endive, cucumber slices, carrot curls, whole or halved walnuts, halved cherry tomatoes, raisins, olives and halved pineapple slices.

Enhancing Your Mold With Layers

Creating layered fruit or vegetable salad molds is another way to impress your eating companions. The most popular, and easiest, method for incorporating layers is to use the blender for dissolving the gelatine. Pour boiling water (¾-cup for 4 serving size package gelatine; 1 ½-cup for 8 serving size package gelatine) into the blender; add gelatine and blend until gelatine has dissolved, about 45 seconds. Add cold water and ice cubes (½-cup cold water with ice cubes to make 1 ¼ cups for 4 serving size package gelatine; 1-cup cold water with ice cubes to make 1½ cups for 8 serving size package gelatine), stir until ice is partially melted then blend for about 45 seconds more. Spread your fruit or vegetables into mold and pour blended gelatine on top. Chill until firm. The salad will separate into layers as it chills. Unmold, garnish and serve.

Adding a cream cheese layer to fruit salads is both easy and delicious according to Kroll. "Using a 4-serving size package of gelatine, dissolve gelatine in 1 ¾ cups boiling water. Set aside ½-cup of gelatine. Pour remaining gelatine into mold, chill until set but not firm. Gradually blend remaining gelatine into softened cream cheese, beating until smooth. Fold in chopped fruit. Spoon cream cheese and fruit mixture over chilled gelatine in mold. Chill until firm. Unmold and garnish."

For vegetable salads, Kroll suggests adding a creamy layer from combining mayonnaise with a portion of the gelatine. "Using a 8-serving size package of gelatine, dissolve gelatine according to the package directions, remove 1-cup of gelatine and set aside. Place bowl with remaining gelatine in larger bowl of ice and water; stir until slightly thickened. Add vegetables of your choice and pour into mold. Chill until set but not firm. Meanwhile blend reserved gelatine with ½ cup mayonnaise. Chill over ice until thickened. Add some vegetables, if desired; spoon over chilled gelatine in mold. Chill until firm. Unmold and garnish."