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Crayfish in aspic

Crayfish in aspic from Erken 1914: crayfish cooked with carrot, onion and parsley, the shells pounded and strained into a mousse with crayfish butter, white sauce, fish aspic and whipped cream, stirred cold over ice. The mixture fills tail shells and a charlotte mold lined with aspic and crayfish tails; unmolded and garnished with truffle and chervil.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 152 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

A cold buffet dish in the classic aspic tradition: crayfish mousse molded in a charlotte mold, garnished with crayfish tails and truffle. Such cold dishes were highlights of the festive table around 1914, and Erken gives both an unmolded and a mold-served version.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Cook the crayfish

    Lightly brown the finely chopped carrot, onion and parsley in the butter, pour on the meat stock (or the wine) and cook the crayfish in this for 10–15 minutes.

  2. 2

    Clean

    Clean the crayfish tails and set aside 20 fine tail shells. Pound the rest of the shells together with the vegetables into a fine mass.

  3. 3

    Make the crayfish mixture

    Add 15 g butter, the crayfish butter, the thick white sauce and 6 tbsp melted fish aspic to the pounded mass. Rub everything through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.

  4. 4

    Stir over ice

    Set the bowl on finely crushed ice, stir for 3 minutes and add the whipped cream and the crayfish tails cut into small dice.

  5. 5

    Fill the tail shells

    Fill the 20 tail shells with the mixture and garnish them with coarsely chopped truffle.

  6. 6

    Line the mold

    Line a smooth charlotte mold thickly with aspic, and garnish the bottom and sides with crayfish tails dipped in half-set aspic. Let set well.

  7. 7

    Fill the mold

    Stir 1 tbsp coarsely chopped truffle into the rest of the mixture and fill it into the mold. Chill until it is completely firm, at least a few hours.

  8. 8

    Serve

    Dip the mold for a moment in hot water and turn it out; arrange the filled tail shells around it. The dish can also be served in the mold: in that case pour aspic over the set mixture and garnish with crayfish tails, truffle and chervil before a thin layer of fish aspic is poured over.

Changes from the original

Measures modernized to dl and grams; the archaic "hair sieve" explained as a fine-mesh sieve. The ingredient list in the original mentions meat stock, while the method mentions wine – both have been kept as alternative cooking liquids. Necessary but unspecified components (crayfish butter, fish aspic, cream, truffles) have been listed with quantities taken from the method.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From19141949Modernised
To19141949Modernised
1914 (proofread, p. 152) → Modernised~86% of the text changedremovedadded
40 krebs stk kreps (levende eller rå). 120 gr. gulerøtter g gulrot (finhakket). 100 gr. g løk (finhakket). 30 gr. g persille (finhakket). 40 gr. g smør 2 1/2 del. kjøtkraft. De rensede finhakkede gulerøtter, (til bruning). 2,5 dl kjøttkraft eller hvitvin (kokevæske). 15 g smør (til massen). 60 g krepsesmør. 1 dl tykk hvit saus. 6 ss fiskegelé (smeltet). 2,5 dl fløte (pisket). trøfler (grovhakket, til masse og pynt). fiskegelé (til å kle formen). kjørvel (til pynt). Brun finhakket gulrot, løk og persille brunes let lett i smørret, paaheldes vinen; heri kokes krebsene 10 å 15 minutter. Krebsehalerne renses smøret, hell på kjøttkraften (eller vinen) og skallene lægges tilside. Resten kok krepsen i dette i 10–15 minutter.. Rens krepsehalene og legg 20 fine haleskall til side. Støt resten av skallene og de kokte grønsaker støtes fint, tilsættes sammen med grønnsakene til en fin masse.. Tilsett 15 gr. g smør, 60 gr. krebsesmør, 1 del. tyk hvit saus samt krepsesmøret, den tykke hvite sausen og 6 spiseskeer ss smeltet fiskegelé. Alt gnides gjennem haarsigt fiskegelé i den støtte massen. Gni alt gjennom en finmasket sil ned i et kar, som sættes paa smaahuggen is; kar.. Sett karet på finknust is, rør i det i 3 minutter og tilsæt 2 1/2 del. vispet fløte tilsett den piskede fløten og krebsehalerne, skaaret krepsehalene skåret i smaa terninger. små terninger.. Fyll de 20 haleskaller fyldes haleskallene med denne masse massen og dekoreres pynt dem med grovhakkede trøfler. En glat charlotte-form beklædes grovhakket trøffel.. Kle en glatt charlotteform tykt med gele, bunden gelé, og siderne garneres garner bunn og sider med krebsehaler, som først er krepsehaler dyppet i halvflytende gele. Naar alt er godt stivnet, fyldes med gelé. La stivne godt.. Rør 1 ss grovhakket trøffel inn i resten av massen og fyll den færdiglagede masse, som like før ifyldningen irøres 1 spiseske grovhakkede trøfler. — Formen dyppes et øieblik, før i formen. Sett kaldt til den skal tømmes, hurtig er helt stiv, minst noen timer.. Dypp formen et øyeblikk i varmt vand; vann og hvelv den ut; legg de fyldte krebsehaler lægges omkring. fylte haleskallene rundt. Retten kan ogsaa også serveres i formen; formen: hell da heldes gele øverst i formen, efter at massen er stivnet. Over gelé over den stivnede massen pyntes da med krebshaler, trøfler og kjørvelblade, pynt med krepsehaler, trøffel og kjørvel før et tyndt tynt lag fiskegelé heldes helles over.

Note on Modernised

Mål modernisert til dl og gram; «haarsigt» forklart som finmasket sil. Ingredienslisten i originalen nevner kjøttkraft, mens fremgangsmåten nevner vin – begge er beholdt som alternativ kokevæske. Nødvendige, men uspesifiserte tilbehør (krepsesmør, fiskegelé, fløte, trøfler) er ført opp med mengder hentet fra fremgangsmåten.

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Frequently asked questions

How long should the crayfish cook?
The crayfish are cooked for 10–15 minutes in the wine together with the lightly browned vegetables (carrot, onion and parsley).
What are the shells used for?
The tail shells are set aside and filled – 20 of them are filled with the crayfish mixture and decorated with coarsely chopped truffle. The rest of the shells are pounded fine together with the cooked vegetables and go into the mixture.
How does the mixture get the right consistency?
The strained mixture with crayfish butter, thick white sauce and 6 tablespoons of melted fish aspic is stirred for 3 minutes over finely crushed ice, before 2 1/2 dl whipped cream and finely diced crayfish tails are folded in.
How many servings and how long does the dish take?
The recipe is meant for 8 servings, and the total time is about 6 hours including setting of the aspic. Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken's Stor kokebok (Great Cookbook) (1914), p. 152.

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