fbpx

I can’t even tell you how good it feels to be writing this post! So, a quick catch-up for everyone: We are in our new house and we are (mostly) unpacked! It took forever with two small kids, but what are you going to do? It is what it is. It also is taking me a long time to acclimate to not having built-in storage around every corner, like our previous mid-century home. In a new home, you have to put all the storage in yourself! And that takes a little planning. But, I’ve got my dishes unpacked, and the shelves built to hold my linens and backdrops, and the shelves to hold all my cookbooks are here. They are just…still in boxes. But they are here, so I hope to assemble some of those over Christmas, since we are going to be staying home for the holidays.

Speaking of holidays, if you all are looking for a holiday gelatin, can I suggest 7-Up Cheese Aspic?

IMG_1861

AuthorRetroRuth
Rating

From You're Really Cooking When You're Cooking With 7-Up, 1957

Click on cookbook to purchase!

Tested Recipe!

ShareTweetSaveShare

 1 package lime gelatin
 1 cup hot water
 7 ounces 7-Up
 1 tsp grated onion
 3 ounces processed cheesecut into small squares
 ½ cup diced celery
 1 tbsp sliced stuffed olives

1

Dissolve gelatin in hot water. Add chilled 7-Up and onion. Chill until slightly thickened. Fold in remaining ingredients. Turn into one-quart mold; chill until firm. Unmold. Serve on crisp lettuce. Garnish with tomato wedges and cheese cubes.
Yield: 6 servings

Links may be affiliate links. 

Ingredients

 1 package lime gelatin
 1 cup hot water
 7 ounces 7-Up
 1 tsp grated onion
 3 ounces processed cheesecut into small squares
 ½ cup diced celery
 1 tbsp sliced stuffed olives

Directions

1

Dissolve gelatin in hot water. Add chilled 7-Up and onion. Chill until slightly thickened. Fold in remaining ingredients. Turn into one-quart mold; chill until firm. Unmold. Serve on crisp lettuce. Garnish with tomato wedges and cheese cubes.
Yield: 6 servings

7-Up Cheese Aspic

No? No takers? Well, this lovely recipe is from the You’re Really Cooking When Your Cooking With 7-Up pamphlet from 1957. If you ever come across these pamphlets, snap them up. These things are gold. White, fizzy gold.

IMG_0059

To be honest, I didn’t even make this gelatin. My glorious friend Carolyn had a holiday open house this past weekend, and when she invited me, she told me that part of her reason for even having the party was to nudge me back into trying recipes. The conversation leading up to aspic time went something like this:

Carolyn: So, how are you doing?

Me: I hate moving. I hope these boxes burn with the fire of a thousand suns.

Carolyn: Other than that…

Me: Good.

Carolyn: Good. So, I’m considering having a holiday party.

Me: Really?

Carolyn: Yes. But I’m not going through the trouble of having a party if you aren’t going to come. So pick a weekend you are free.

Me: I’m actually excited. I’m totally going to come.

Carolyn: Good. Also, send me some crazy recipes so I can make something for the party. Everyone always loves that stuff.

Me: Oh, I’ll send you recipes. You’ll get more recipes than you bargained for.

IMG_0062

After which I bombarded her with about 30 crazy recipes I’ve been thinking about making. I’m pretty sure she wandered away from the computer in disgust halfway through me sending them. But after lots of laughing, exclamations of horror and some morbid interest back-and-forthing, it was decided to make 7-Up Cheese Aspic. Because everyone loves lime-flavored gelatin with onion in it!

IMG_0064

It was also decided that I would get off my fanny and try out some Christmas cookies as well, and bring them to the party. (Recipes for those coming next week!) So, the day before the party, while I was teaching my new kitchen all about making mid-century recipes, I started getting texts from Carolyn:

Oh My God, Ruth! Why am I making you this gelatin?

I just grated onion into lime Jell-O.

This does not smell good.

At least I get to drink some 7-UP.

I can’t even lick my fingers right now. The smell. The horrible smell!

I stacked the processed cheese slices to make cubes. And it made cubes. That so weird.

Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhh!

Ok, ok. I just…I need to go wash my hands.

IMG_1860

And so it was done. The gelatin was made. The party was…saved?

IMG_1866 IMG_1869 IMG_1880

Tom: Okay. This isn’t too bad.

Party Guest: Nope. I’m out. This tastes wrong.

Party Guest 2: Gross.

Party Guest 3: This…tastes like my past. I kind of like it.

Party Guest 4: This is not right.

Party Guest 5: I like it! This is really good!

Party Guest 5’s Husband: This is really good.

Carolyn: I’m not eating that. I can’t get the smell of it off my hands.

The Verdict:

It was sweet, fizzy and salty. It tasted like onion in lime gelatin with a fizzy aftertaste. I could be dramatic say it was wrong on so many levels, but the only level I was totally put off by was the freaking onion. Raw onion in gelatin is just “no” for me. I’ve never been able to get over it. Tom suggested that the olives were essential to make it edible. Most party guests were just scared of it. Other party guests loved it. It was completely eaten by the rest of the night (whatever hadn’t turned into a pile of melted lime-onion goo), so they must have been telling the truth. I couldn’t taste the “good” part, but I’m not a big fan of onion. Maybe if I loved onion as much as I love…let’s say, pickles, maybe it would have been better. So I guess if you make this one depends on how much you like onion. And how much you like the smell of onion and lime-gelatin sticking to your hands.

I’m excited to be back! Hopefully I can keep this momentum going!

  |