Description
Sophisticated Barefoot Contessa tomato aspic recipe delivers classic southern charm on chilled plates. Smooth gelatin-set tomato creation provides elegant cold appetizer perfect for discerning palates you’ll savor with culinary delight.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (480 milliliters) vegetable juice (such as V-8®)
- ½ cup (120 milliliters) chopped onion
- ½ cup (120 milliliters) chopped celery
- 1 (.25 oz / 7 g) envelope unflavored gelatin
- ¼ cup (60 milliliters) boiling water
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce, or to taste (optional)
- 2 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Gelatin Preparation: Sprinkle gelatin over hot water, whisking until completely dissolved into a smooth, glossy liquid.
- Flavor Infusion: Combine vegetable juice, Worcestershire sauce, whole cloves, and bay leaf in a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes, allowing herbs to release their aromatic essence.
- Ingredient Integration: Remove cloves and bay leaf, then fold finely diced onion and celery into the warm vegetable juice, creating a vibrant, textured base.
- Gelatin Incorporation: Stream the dissolved gelatin into the vegetable juice, stirring methodically to guarantee uniform distribution and prevent any gelatin clusters.
- Molding and Chilling: Pour the liquid into a clean mold, ensuring a sleek surface, then refrigerate for 60-90 minutes until the aspic transforms into a firm, quivering delicacy that holds its shape impeccably.
Notes
- Optimize Gelatin Dissolving: Sprinkle gelatin evenly over hot water and stir gently to prevent lumps, ensuring a silky-smooth texture in your final aspic.
- Boost Flavor Intensity: Simmer vegetable juice with whole cloves and bay leaf for exactly 10 minutes to extract maximum aromatic depth without bitter undertones.
- Perfect Vegetable Preparation: Dice onion and celery into consistent, small pieces to distribute flavor evenly and create a professional, uniform appearance.
- Chilling Technique: Refrigerate aspic for 60-90 minutes, checking firmness by gentle jiggle – the goal is a set, tremor-free consistency that holds its shape beautifully.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 40
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 280 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg