Ginger Mint Salad

Ginger Mint Salad
Rumford Complete Cookbook, 1941

1 package lime or lemon flavor gelatine
½ cup boiling water
1 ½ cups ginger ale
¼ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup finely diced celery
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
1 cup mixed fruits, canned or fresh in season
Lettuce
Mayonnaise or whipped cream mayonnaise

Dissolve gelatine in boiling water, placing it over hot water for a few minutes if necessary. When cold, add ginger ale and as soon as the mixture begins to thicken, fold in nuts, celery, mint and fruits. Turn into individual wet molds, chill, unmold and serve on lettuce, passing dressing separately. Serves 6.

Comments: Rumford, a baking powder company, is all about convenience with this from-the-pantry gelatin salad. Beyond the fresh mint, an herb that was readily available in most gardens at the time, all items may be purchased far beforehand, including the flavored gelatin. While not specifically naming the brand, this recipe identifies any lime or lemon gelatin as an acceptable shortcut. I purchased lime Jell-O, the only lime flavored gelatin at my grocery store.

While I opted to use fresh Bartlett pears in addition to the mint, I did consider substituting fresh mint with mint flavoring to make this a truly pantry-friendly recipe. It’s always helpful to have a few of these types of sides and main dishes available. After our taste test, my family found that the bursts of fresh mint from the leaves were an enjoyable part of the salad, but we thought that muddling the mint before adding it to the gelatin would improve the taste even more!

The most interesting part of this recipe is how the ginger flavor diminishes over time. On the first day, the ginger flavor matched the strength of the mint and the lime, but this balance shifted after 12 hours, with the taste of ginger disappearing almost entirely as the lime flavor become more dominant. While the salad is still pleasant the second day, it is best to eat it on the day it was created.

I also found that this salad is very sweet. Another possible change to this recipe would be to substitute Knox gelatin, lemon juice, and a smaller amount of sugar for the lemon-flavored gelatin (recipe below), with the idea of reducing the sugar and removing any artificial coloring or flavoring. The Knox recipe can be altered so that the final result is as sweet as desired.

Overall, I found this salad to be refreshing with a variety of textures and flavors – served with or without mayonnaise and lettuce. It is one that I would consider making again.

Lemon Jelly
Charles B. Knox Gelatine Co.’s Dainty Desserts for Dainty People, c. 1920

2 envelopes Knox Sparkling Gelatine.
1 ½ cups sugar.
2 cups cold water.
3 cups boiling water.
1 pint lemon juice.

Soak the gelatine in the cold water five minutes and dissolve with the boiling water; add the sugar and stir until dissolved and cooled; then add the lemon juice and strain through a cheese cloth into molds.