[Sca-cooks] Almond Jello (was Period Foods: How to Fake It!)

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Cynara wrote:
>  > If memory serves, we used the Asian style
>  > almond gel, which is based on agar-agar, a seaweed product and not an
>  > animal product at all.  And yummy.
>  >
>  > Selene C.
>
>This sounds interesting -- where does one get it, and how does it compare to
>regular gelatin? I am in the process of converting all my recipes to
>non-allergenic stuff, and have been completely stumped by jello.

Agar (or agar-agar) is sold here in California in our large 
supermarkets. It is also available in East and Southeast Asian 
markets - it is used in Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Indonesian 
cooking, for example. It is also available in many health food 
stores. And i believe i have seen it in halal markets.

It comes in several forms. There are long white rectangles, there are 
flakes, and it also comes pre-dyed intense red and green. It is very 
very light weight and pretty much flavorless - although i imagine 
there could be some variation in brands (and processing).

Unlike animal gelatin it won't melt if the weather is hot. It is 
often a bit firmer than the standard amount of animal gelatin, but 
you the cook can control this - and it seems to me that using 
additional animal gelatin to make a firmer product has become popular 
- and not just for jello shooters :-)

To use agar, you soak it in warm water until it has absorbed the 
water and is soft - work it a bit to dissolve it.

Anahita