Stuffed Tomatoes in Aspic Jelly (1927)
Ripe garden tomatoes filled with crisp celery, walnuts, and mayonnaise, suspended inside shimmering individual molds of savory lemon aspic jelly.
- Original yieldYield
- 4 servings4 servings
- PrepPrep time
- CookCook time
- TotalTotal time
Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the base layer, at least 3 hours for the final set, and extra cooling time if the aspic is still warm.
Published Updated
Original recipe: 4 servings
The story behind the recipe
A small tomato disappears inside a savory jelly, with celery, chopped nuts and mayonnaise tucked into its center. The first cut reveals the salad within the salad: crisp filling, tomato around it, then a clear broth-based aspic on the outside.
A tomato with its own mold
Alice Bradley's 1927 Stuffed Tomatoes in Aspic uses peeled, hollowed small tomatoes in individual molds. The jelly encloses them rather than becoming part of their filling. A lettuce leaf provides a simple base after unmolding.
Read more about this recipe
Two entries make the dish
In Electric Refrigerator Menus and Recipes, the tomato instructions refer elsewhere for the aspic and the molding technique. Bradley expects the cook to put related parts of the book together. The stuffed tomato supplies the contents and presentation; a separate jelly recipe supplies the liquid that sets around it.
Our version uses a broth-and-lemon adaptation of her Quick Aspic Jelly. That original dissolves bouillon cubes in hot water and offers sherry or lemon for flavor. We choose lemon and prepared vegetable or chicken broth, with modern measures and less cold bloom water. The source's half cup is not the quarter cup used here.
The nut filling also has choices. Walnuts or pecans bring small pieces with a different texture from finely diced celery, while mayonnaise holds them together. Those ingredients stay inside the tomato, not scattered through the surrounding aspic.
The cold stays above freezing
Bradley explicitly places the filled molds in the refrigerator away from its chilling unit. The jelly should set, not freeze. That separates it from her Tomatoes Stuffed with Frozen Salad, whose creamy vegetable filling goes through a freezer stage before it is spooned into open shells.
The names can sound similar, but the assembly and finished textures are quite different. Here the tomato is peeled and enclosed; there it remains a cup around the filling. Both show how the refrigerator changes a salad's presentation, explored further in our feature on Bradley's cookbook.
The broth carries most of the aspic's flavor. Lemon sharpens it, and a pinch of cayenne gives a small accent. Use the specified broth choice and pay attention to its saltiness; the surrounding jelly is something to eat with the tomato, not merely a transparent decoration.
Choose the mold with the tomato in mind
Each vessel needs space around and above its tomato for aspic. A wide ramekin may hold plenty of liquid but spread this amount too thinly to cover the filling. The notes suggest smaller tomatoes or closer-fitting molds, keeping the ingredients and vessel in proportion.
The liquid also needs to cool before meeting the mayonnaise filling. That wait belongs in the plan when the broth mixture is still warm after preparation. Once set, a brief warm-water dip helps release each mold onto lettuce.
A whole mold shows the enclosed tomato; a cut portion shows what it contains. Those different views are part of the dish's appeal, with celery and nuts giving the center a crunch that its smooth outer surface doesn't reveal.
Make it your wayOriginal: 4 servings
Original recipe: 4 servings
Ingredients
For 4 servings. Quantities are shown as written.
Source measurement convention: Metric. Explicit unit definitions take precedence; unconfirmed measures must be checked before conversion.
Original quantities for 4 servings.
- Small firm ripe tomatoes (approx. 4 small)400 g
- Celery (finely diced)50 gAuthor measures: about 1/3 metric cup (250 ml per cup).
- Walnuts (or pecans, finely chopped)20 gAuthor measures: about 2 metric tbsp (1 metric tbsp = 15 ml).
- Mayonnaise (for moistening)45 mlAuthor measures: about 3 metric tbsp (1 metric tbsp = 15 ml).
- Unflavored gelatin15 g
- Cold water60 mlAuthor measures: about 1/4 metric cup (250 ml per cup).
- Rich vegetable or chicken broth (hot)360 mlAuthor measures: about 1 1/2 metric cups (250 ml per cup).
- Fresh lemon juice15 mlAuthor measures: about 1 metric tbsp (1 metric tbsp = 15 ml).
- Fine salt1/4 metric tsp
- Cayenne pepper1 pinch
- Crisp lettuce leaves (for serving)4
Measurement notes
- fine salt: tsp: 1 = 5 ml.
Measurement notes
Original ingredients
- 400 g small firm ripe tomatoes (approx. 4 small)
- 50 g celery (finely diced, approx. 1/3 cup)
- 20 g walnuts (or pecans, finely chopped, approx. 2 tbsp)
- 45 ml mayonnaise (approx. 3 tbsp, for moistening)
- 15 g unflavored gelatin
- 60 ml cold water (approx. 1/4 cup)
- 360 ml rich vegetable or chicken broth (approx. 1 1/2 cups, hot)
- 15 ml fresh lemon juice (approx. 1 tbsp)
- 1/4 tsp fine salttsp: 1 = 5 ml.
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 4 crisp lettuce leaves (for serving)
Equipment
4 individual ramekins or small molds
Instructions
Peel and hollow the tomatoes
Dip the small firm ripe tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, then plunge into cold water and slip off the skins. Slice off the stem tops and gently scoop out the seeds and pulpy centers with a small spoon.
Mix the celery and walnut filling
In a small bowl, stir together the finely diced celery, chopped walnuts, and mayonnaise until bound into a crunchy filling.
Stuff the tomatoes
Spoon the celery and walnut salad firmly into the hollowed tomatoes.
Bloom the gelatin
In a small saucepan, sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over the cold water and let sit for 5 minutes to bloom.
Dissolve and cool the aspic
Add the hot rich vegetable or chicken broth, fresh lemon juice, fine salt, and cayenne pepper. Whisk over medium-low heat until the gelatin is completely dissolved (about 2 minutes), then remove and cool to room temperature.
Set the base layer
Pour a 1 cm layer of the cooled liquid aspic into the bottom of 4 individual ramekins or molds. Place in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes until set enough to support weight.
Add tomatoes and remaining aspic
Place one stuffed tomato stem-side down onto the set aspic in each mold. Pour the remaining liquid aspic around and over the tomatoes until covered.
Chill until firm
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours until firm.
Unmold onto lettuce
To unmold, dip each ramekin briefly into warm water for 5 seconds, loosen the edges with a thin knife, and invert onto a plate lined with a crisp lettuce leaf.
Estimated calories 150 kcal
Nutrition portion: 1/4 of recipe · Original yield: 4 servings
Source & assumptions
Ingredient-based estimate using CoFID 2021, USDA SR Legacy (April 2018), identified manufacturer information. Approximately 150 kcal per nutrition portion. Uses walnuts, regular mayonnaise and representative rich chicken stock. Includes all tomato-input energy despite removed centers, plus four standard outer lettuce leaves. Ingredients, brands and preparation affect values.
Recipe notes
When adjusting quantities
Scale ingredients proportionally. Allow at least 3 hours in the refrigerator for the gelatin to set firmly before unmolding.
Original recipe notes
These notes describe the original recipe. Quantities mentioned here do not change when you adjust servings.
Make sure the liquid aspic is fully cooled before pouring around the stuffed tomatoes so it does not warm the mayonnaise filling.
Before you begin, check that each mold can hold one tomato with space around and above it for about a quarter of the aspic. Wider molds may need more aspic to cover the tomato; use smaller tomatoes or closer-fitting molds rather than assuming every ramekin will fit.
Read the scaling guide. Times, temperatures and equipment need their own consideration. Open the recipe tool to review and correct individual amounts.
Sources and attribution
Alice Bradley, Electric Refrigerator Menus and Recipes (General Electric, copyright 1927; fourth edition, September 1928), p. 61 (No. 14)
Alice Bradley, Electric Refrigerator Menus and Recipes (General Electric, copyright 1927; fourth edition, September 1928), Stuffed Tomatoes in Aspic, No. 14, p. 61, and Quick Aspic Jelly, p. 59.
Recipe details
- Recipe tradition
- Vintage
- Course or meal
- Side dish
- Cuisine
- American
- Source decade
- 1920s
- Occasion
- Entertaining
- Browse category
- Snacks & Dips