All colors were homemade using natural ingredients.
These two jellies are being tested for a dinner I am hosting on November 7th in Boston — a recreation of a 12-course dinner from Fannie Farmer all cooked on a coal cookstove using Victorian culinary methods. This course will have three jelly molds: Sauterne with Champagne Grapes, one of these molds, and then a strawberry-rhubarb mold. All food coloring are homemade by us and totally natural. We are also testing making our own calf feet gelatin.
This is a classic mold design with a pineapple on top. Tastes great too.
Christopher Kimball Blog 
Wow! How could you ever EAT those? They’re too complex and pretty! That’s going to be one impressive dinner party.
Who is coming to this dinner? The whole idea is fascinating! My Dad has a Fanny Farmer Cookbook, probably from the 1930’s, and I was given a contemporary one when I married in the late ’60’s. Fanny was *the* guide for many cooks for many, many years.
Those look pretty and showy, but very time consuming. It’s a good thing that they actually tasted great, but wouldn’t it be difficult to cut into such a creation?
Wow.
Beautiful, and they sound like they will be delicious given the ingredients. I hope you’ll be posting on making the calf feet gelatin.
What are the other courses?
I actually went over to Google Books and discovered I could download the entire PDF version of the Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking School Cook Book, and dug out at least the Sauterne recipe – I’m tempted to try it at home to see how it will come out.
Wow, you are talented! How long does it take you to make one of these jellies?
Oh, lovely! and if you’ve any tips on actually *acquiring* the calves feet for the jelly, do share!
I guess you’ve never been to PA Dutch country, Miriam. Plenty of farmers’ markets there sell the stuff.
(Was that supposed to be snark, by the way? I couldn’t tell.)
No, sorry — I was serious! I was all geared up to plow through some aspics in MtAoFC and couldn’t find calves feet to save my life, apart from one offer of a sixty-pound box… which, without an aspic-lovin’ friend or a large freezer, was a bit more commitment than I wanted. You’ve inspired me: maybe I’ll try again this fall.
Thank you for this. I’ve been becoming increasingly interested in learning original techniques for processes that have been overly simplified in our culture. Making my own gelatin is a great part of that.
Subtlety may deceive you; integrity never will….
The point of quotations is that one can use another”s words to be insulting….
Chris Kimball – when are you going to do something about the fraudulent practices of Cook’s Illustrated billing dept. They send out books and bills for things never ordered. Complaints are all over the internet. How can you associate your name with such unlawful practices? Shame on you.