The unique, wriggly texture of gelatin, and its ability to set foods, have led to some … let’s say “creative” culinary experiments over the years. Because its liquid form can solidify, you can mold it into pretty much any shape you can imagine, from eggs to brains to elegant bundt cake-style rings. Not only that, you can layer different flavors of gelatin-based Jell-O to create striking color contrasts. You could also fill your batch of flavored gelatin with a variety of bite-sized ingredients, from no-brainers such as marshmallows and fruit to more head-scratching choices such as tuna and tomato.
These filled gelatin dishes, also known as Jell-O salads, were an iconic 1950s food trend, although their popularity began rising in the 1930s. While some of these concoctions may sound downright unappetizing to modern consumers, at the time, they made sense due to wartime sugar rationing and because of Jell-O’s easy versatility. One of these head-scratchers — although those who’ve tried it claim it’s better than it sounds — is a sweet-and-savory Christmas Jell-O salad made using lime Jell-O, pimento-stuffed green olives, and sliced sweet pickles, all combined and poured into a loaf pan. While the colors are certainly festive, no doubt you have to try it for yourself in order to get on board (or not).
Modern takes on this Jell-O salad
While Jell-O salads may not be in vogue today, they haven’t disappeared. In fact, some Jell-O-themed social media accounts boast thousands of followers eager to see the jiggly results of using an antique jelly mold, and our collective love of all things vintage means that Jell-O salads might just be poised for a comeback. However, it’s still hard to imagine people getting enthusiastically behind a Jell-O salad like the one mentioned above. In fact, some people prank guests by serving lime Jell-O flavored with pickle juice and topped with whipped cream and fruit to really sell the effect; it’s not meant to be a nice flavor. A more crowd-pleasing holiday gelatin dessert could be a Christmas ribbon salad, which sandwiches a layer of lemon Jell-O mixed with cream cheese between layers of lime and cherry Jell-O. Red, white, and green — no olives, pickles, or pimento cheese required.
If you’re really eager to marry gelatin and pickles, or gelatin and olives, try Jell-O shots. For pickle Jell-O shots, combine pickle juice, whiskey, and gelatin powder in a saucepan before pouring it into hollowed-out “cups” of whole pickles and letting them set in the refrigerator. Olive shots can take inspiration from the dirty martini: Simply fill un-stuffed green olives with a vodka-gelatin mixture and let set. A main difference here is that you use unflavored gelatin powder rather than flavored Jell-O, eliminating the sugar and potentially off-putting fruitiness.
