Sweet & Moldy

"Attention all chocolate lovers! This is for you - a sheer bit of goodness you'll want to whip up often." - Knox's On Camera Recipes (c) '62


And was I ever whipped after preparing this Knox "camera-ready" recipe:

Chocolate Chiffon Dessert

1 envelope Knox Unflavored Gelatine [look on the high shelf in the jell-o section - which is a shame because the sweet little old ladies that were the housewives in the 50s & 60s can't reach it]
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cocoa
3 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
whipped cream

[Here is your fair warning - this, to me, was more labor intensive than I'd like. But it is a housewive's duty to suffer in the name of dessert.]

1] Mix gelatine, 1/4 cup of the sugar, salt and cocoa in top of double boiler.
2] Beat egg yolks and milk together. Add to gelatine.
3] Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly until gelatine is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
4] Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Chill to unbeaten egg white consistency. [Knox suggests submerging the mixture in an ice bath, like Huey Lewis in I Want a New Drug]
5] Beat egg whites until stiff. Beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
6] Fold chocolate gelatine mixture into egg whites.
7] Turn into a 4-cup mold or individual molds.
8] Chill in refrigerator until form.
9] Unmold on serving plate and garnish with whipped cream.

Ugh. The un-molding did not go according to plan. Taking care not to gouge the edges of the mold with a knife I opted to submerge it in a warm water bath - a little sauna of sorts. And, unfortunately, it opened up it's little chocolate chiffon pores in a jiffy. The tears ran down my face as I watched my gelatinous labor of love run all over the plate. Okay, so it wasn't that dramatic. I mostly cursed like a sailor, hoping that the kids were out of ear shot. But in the end, beauty lies in the eye of the spoon-holder. Knox's Camera-Ready Chocolate Chiffon Dessert was still a sheer bit of goodness.