August 5, 2011

Like a Bowl Full of Jelly

I was reading blog and personal favourite, House of Beauty & Culture the other day and he wrote about a summer specialty, jelly. Specifically, jellied champagne with raspberries. What could be more refreshing on a hot summer day than this!bompas & parrAs I was reading the post, I remembered a company in London which specializes in sculptural and architectural jellies, which are most amazing. Bompas-and-Parr-jelly-007 The company, Bompas & Parr, was started by two Oxbridge grads after their final year at university, just as a summer lark. BPjelly Their work caught on and soon became in demand for the most elegant of events.bompas & parr2 For the Royal Wedding in April, they created a mould of Buckingham Palace and made a huge copy of it.

Royalty has always celebrated with jelly, as you can imagine with Queen Victoria and the Victorians and their chefs who worked to make more and more imaginative dishes for the royal banquets. bompas & parr 7 You can still find elaborate jelly moulds in antique stores, and it’s lots of fun to make your own creations with them. Or you can do something as simple as oranges and cream in jelly. bompas & parr5 Don’t you think this is fun!

17 comments:

  1. Those are so fun!!! I put our dinner post up this morning Meg!! Thank you for a lovely evening!

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  2. I love the orange idea!!
    You're right.... I must do this for the weekend!

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  3. Love the moulds! That would look wonderful displayed. :)

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  4. Champagne jelly with raspberries!?!?!

    *clunk* (passed out in delight)

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  5. Love the first pic. Let's have some tonight!

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  6. I have some old moulds from my grandma which I use occasionally (although nothing as fancy as these- plain jello with frozen berries!) -they're so fun! I wonder how the oranges and creme ones were done -those are delightful for a dinner party!

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  7. I too am curious how the orange cream ones were done and would love to concoct a lime version for next year's St. Patrick's Day party.

    Note to mold admirers: it can be dangerous to use the older molds for food prep because of the presence of lead and other toxic metals.

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  8. I've long been fascinated with molded jellies, and there is this marvelous website called historicfood.com with a section on "Jelly, Flummery, and Creams:

    http://www.historicfood.com/Jellies.htm

    I would never tackle anything so ambitious on their site, but jellied champagne with raspberries sounds...divine.

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  9. Meg, this is a great post! Do you happen to have a recipe for the orange and cream fantasy? It is such a cool idea--just slice and the orange keeps everything in place. Have a cool summer week-end.
    Mary

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  10. Aaaahhhhh, jelly, jelly, jelly. When I was in labour, don't worry, I won't go into detail, I was only allowed to eat jelly as it was the closest thing akin to water and doesn't make you sick mixed with all the drugs, and after 24 hours you are bloody starving, so I ate about a pound of the stuff. I was as sick as a dog!

    It hasn't put me off though - I LOVE THE JELLY!

    Di
    X

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  11. Oh Meg, everyone is wondering how to make the oranges in cream!!I can see myself making a big mess of it!

    xoxo
    Karena

    Art by Karena

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  12. My husband recently asked me to make Jello. I thought I'd try to make it a bit festive, so I dug out a vintage mold. Let's just say the unmolding process didn't go well. It was quite funny. I took a picture because it was just so pathetic.
    Yours here are downright elegant. I guess I need practice.

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  13. I found the Jello Mold Mistress of Brooklyn!:

    http://jellomoldmistress.com/

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  14. Ok... i am inspired by all of this. jello's on the menu for tonight! {insane, because i am cooking for the chefs!!}

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  15. I seem to be far from the only obsessed with figuring this out - these aren't striped but here is a start:
    http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/jellofruit/

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  16. http://www.lishacooks.blogspot.com/2009/11/jelly-oranges.html

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  17. Stripes:
    http://www.1finecookie.com/2011/06/land-shark-fin-cookies-layered-jello-shot-lemon-lime-wedges-flip-flop-sandwiches/

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