The joy of Jell-O
Pat Ernst Dugan
July 21, 2005
Inspired by a recent visit to Le Roy, N.Y., and a pride in all things from our own “backyard,” summer salads made with Jell-O are the order of my day.

Jell-O never seems to go out of style. It just keeps reinventing itself with more and more ways — mostly new recipes that use this clever, affordable ingredient. Jell-O can be dessert, centerpiece, diet snack or a salad carrying vegetables, fruit, nuts, and/or cheese and a great vehicle for whipped cream.

Jell-O has been around for some time. The first patent for gelatin was issued in 1845 to Peter Cooper, founder of Cooper Union in New York City. That formula evolved into a fruit-flavored gelatin because of the curiosity and hard work of carpenter and cough medicine manufacturer Pearle Wait of Le Roy. It was his wife, Mary, however, who gave this product its famous name — Jell-O.

If you have ever researched other recipes that use plain gelatin, you realize the pricelessness of this name. Want to try a recipe called Strawberries in Jelly or Fresh Raspberry Gelatin? The titles just don’t grab my attention like Apricot Jell-O Salad does.

Unfortunately for the Waits and fortunately for the astute buyer, a fellow townsman named Orator F. Woodward, Jell-O was carried to fame by the sale of its name and formula for $450 in 1899.
Woodward’s original company was Genesee Pure Food Company, which he later changed to the Jell-O Company. Today, Jell-O is manufactured by Kraft/General Foods in Dover, Del.

Although the manufacturing site was moved from Le Roy in 1964, Kraft includes the Jell-O history on its Web site, along with a link to the site for the Jell-O Museum on Main Street in Le Roy (www.jellomuseum.com). Artwork by Maxfield Parrish and Norman Rockwell featuring Jell-O is on display as well as memorabilia from the food’s more than 100-year history.

Besides recipes, descriptions of the 18 flavors of sugared Jell-O, 11 sugar-free flavors, three “X-treme” flavors and the three summertime flavors of Margarita, Pina Colada and Strawberry Daiquiri (available seasonally at select stores), the Kraft Web site details that nine boxes of Jell-O are sold every second in the United States. Pretty amazing, huh?

Of course, myriad recipes for Jell-O surround me at this moment. The Jell-O Museum’s Web site provides popular historical recipes. The fifth and seventh editions of “The Joys of Jell-O Cookbook” are on my collectible cookbook shelves. Perhaps my daughter Stacy remembers the Berry Blue Jell-O Aquarium made with gummy fish that was the centerpiece at her high school graduation party?

I recently gobbled down a Jell-O salad square, set atop a garden lettuce leaf and topped with a dollop of mayonnaise. It was made with cherry Jell-O, drained, crushed pineapple, small-curd cottage cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. I was quite surprised when the caterer told me about the cheddar — I thought the orange shreds were carrots, and when I make it myself, I will use carrots. For the extra calories, I did not find that the cheddar added discernible flavor.

Helpful hints
After dissolving your favorite flavor Jell-O in boiling water, add club soda, ginger ale, carbonated fruit drink, even champagne to create a unique zing along with your favorite diced fruit.

Pyrex squares or oblong 9-by-13-inch dishes are perfect portables for Jell-O picnic salads.

Pull out your old molds and create a colorful, layered centerpiece salad for your next backyard picnic. Remember, many recipes that were created by Kraft include other company products. Do you really need those marshmallows or that full-fat cream cheese in your salad or dessert? I’ll take mine with port.

Port Wine and Pear Jell-O Dessert
2 (3-ounce) packages sugar-free black cherry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
1 1/4 cups cold tawny port
2 cups diced pears
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

Thoroughly dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add port. Refrigerate 1 1/2 hours or until slightly thickened.

Add remaining ingredients. Pour into sprayed mold or 9-by-13-inch pan. Refrigerate six hours or overnight. If unmolding, dip mold into a sink partially full of very hot water and hold for 20 seconds. Place plate on top of mold, and turn over. Serve with creme fraiche.

Pat Ernst Dugan, a culinary consultant, teacher and personal chef, is the owner of Chez Pat in Corning. E-mail her at foodlyyours@aol.com or send comments and questions to be forwarded to: Foodly Yours, Star-Gazette, Attn: Features Department, 201 Baldwin St., P.O. Box 285, Elmira, NY 14902.