Morels in Aspic is a traditional British recipe for a classic dish of morels and sliced eggs set in clear aspic made from gelatine and flavoured with vegetables and spices that makes a very pretty centrepiece. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Morels in Aspic.
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Morels must rank as one of the most beautiful of all mushroom types and this recipe for morels in clear aspic shows them off at their very best. Remember that to render them safe for eating morels must be cooked.
Ingredients:
16 large morels (or any morels), halved lengthways
40g butter
1 tsp beef extract
1 tsp finely-chopped celery
1 tsp finely-chopped carrot
1 bay leaf
3 whole cloves
30g gelatine
100ml cold water
2 or 3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced into rounds (the exact number will depend on the size of your mould)
herbs to garnish
Method:
Fry the halved morels in the butter until they just become tender (about 5 minutes) then add 250ml water, bring to a simmer and cook slowly for a further 10 minutes. Drain the mushrooms and retain the cooking liquid, returning it to a pan.
Add the beef extract, celery, carrot, bay leaf and cloves to the morel stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Ten minutes before the stock is due to be ready add the gelatine to the cold water and allow it to soften. When the stock has done cooking add the gelatine and continue cooking until the gelatine has all dissolved. You now have your aspic.
Strain the aspic through a double layer of muslin and lightly grease a loaf tin or mould with olive oil. Add a layer of morels (alternating them face up and face down) in the bottom then a layer of eggs. Pour the aspic over the top and continue building in this way until all the morels have been used up. Allow the aspic to cool, cover and place in a fridge to cool and set completely.
Just before you are ready to serve place the mould under hot water for a few seconds then unmould onto a serving plate. Garnish with herbs and serve.
I've used common morel as an example here, but any edible morel species can be used in this dish.
