Question from "A Flummery of Food"

Simon quotes:

Guy de Maupassant: "I became aware that I was eating something particularly delicious, soft-boiled eggs embedded in a layer of meat jelly, seasoned with herbs, and discreetly iced."

Any idea what this might be called now -- Soft Boiled Eggs in Aspic?

Thanks, Bob

It sounds a little like holodets; a kind of meat jelly served with eggs. It is of Russian origin.

rwj

[Jenise]

Simon quotes:

Guy de Maupassant: "I became aware that I was eating something particularly delicious, soft-boiled eggs embedded in a layer of meat jelly, seasoned with herbs, and discreetly iced."

Any idea what this might be called now -- Soft Boiled Eggs in Aspic?

Thanks, Bob

My husband ordered this dish in Lyon: ouef en gelee. The herb was primarily tarragon, though something else may have been mixed in.

[Robin Garr]

Simon quotes:

Guy de Maupassant: "I became aware that I was eating something particularly delicious, soft-boiled eggs embedded in a layer of meat jelly, seasoned with herbs, and discreetly iced."

Any idea what this might be called now -- Soft Boiled Eggs in Aspic?

I believe this is also a Shaker dish - it's been available for years at the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill in Central Kentucky as an appetizer called "egg in aspic." The egg is usually pretty nearly hard, and it's served on lettuce. I don't recall any particular presence of herbs in this version.

Thanks Robert, Jenise and Robin. Great suggestions. Best, Bob