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Six months ago the thought of buying, let alone softening, gelatin was a remote one. There are some products that aren’t inherently compelling, and to me gelatin is one of them; I just can’t shake images of jiggling neon colors and Bill Cosby commercials. It was only after reading Pichet Ong’s  Mango Pudding recipe and writing about it for Cottage Living’s April issue that I could actually see myself purchasing some and willingly using it. The idea of “softening” it was a bit confusing, so I spoke with Kristi Crowe from the Cottage Living Test Kitchens.

She explained that softening gelatin is crucial, because it won’t gel otherwise. She went on to say that it can be purchased in two forms: sheets and granules. There is no real difference between them, only that the latter is more common in the United States. Both must be softened in a little cold liquid before being dissolved in a warm (not boiling) liquid or fruit mixture. Exposing the gelatin to cold water causes it to swell and helps it dissolve smoothly when heated. In this Mango Pudding, the softened gelatin is added to the lukewarm mango mixture so that it will melt and disperse before the pudding is chilled. 

Photo by mcbarnicle.

When cooking sunny-side up eggs, as in our Croque-Madame, we noticed the bottoms getting overdone before the tops cooked through. We fixed this by inverting a smaller skillet or loose-fitting lid over the egg. This traps escaping steam and ensures even doneness.

-ds

Photo by ppdigital.