posted 08-31-2010 10:05 PM            

This mold is made from tin rather than gold or silver, but I think it will still be of interest to you. This mold was used to bake as it has a black surface that I think is the result of years in an oven. It has been a favorite of mine simply because of the shape, but also as it gave me a chance to meet a young tinsmith who was able to fashion a perfect bottom for one that was missing. This tinsmith sets up at Civil War reenactments and made a great copy of the lid that remained on the other mold. At first I thought of doing something to blacken the new lid, but I have now decided just to leave it as is as evidence of his skill in tinsmithing.
I am not really sure what was baked in the bold, except that it was large (the mold is about 15” tall) and dramatic in shape.

Any ideas as to what it was used for would be appreciated.

posted 09-01-2010 09:20 AM            

That said, some sort of gelatin mold also came to mind.

posted 09-01-2010 09:47 AM            

Clearly the inside was shaped to permit releasing of whatever was inside? Even so, it seems like a lot of surface area. So baking or casting might not be what was intended. Because whatever was on the inside when hardened/baked, if it didn't shrink away from the sides then the contents might not be easily removed.

posted 09-01-2010 10:02 AM            

Maybe they weren’t molds at all. It seems like the shape would allow for easy nesting for storage.

posted 09-01-2010 11:53 AM            

This is picture of the original lid showing the small handle in the middle. The tinsmith is not copy this feature as the mold sets straighter without the handle.

The molds are 15” tall and the bases are 6 ¾” in diameter. Given the ease of releasing either an ice mold or one made of gelatin by applying a small amount of hot water on the outside I think these are the two most likely candidates. My wife makes sugar cones in a mold that is about 9 or 10 inches high and just gives a good wrack to get the sugar out.

If we actually try to make something I will post another picture.

posted 09-01-2010 07:15 PM            

I agree that they're too elongated for steamed/baked puddings. It's hard enough getting a steamed pudding out of a squatter mold (which I do pretty often). I think that tall tip would stick inside and break off. And it looks like it would be difficult to get in there to butter it.

posted 09-06-2010 01:12 PM            

Seems to me that I've seen a similar piece in a book, but not able to check at the moment. Here's a recipe that mentions a tall slender mold, from 1905 British book by Mrs. Peel, Entrees Made Easy:

posted 09-06-2010 11:23 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Polly:
And eaten with forks? Spoons?

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Good question Polly. So, I spent some time with my book on Tiffany flatware to see if I could find an answer. No luck. All the aspic related pieces are in the section on serving pieces. They seem to be somewhat like ice cream slices but smaller (around 7 inches as compared to ice cream slices being around 11 inches)

There were no forks or spoons that I could find in the section on place pieces that were said to be used to eat aspic. Jelly spoons were also listed as serving utensils.

My mother used to make tomato aspic and I cannot remember what we used to eat it, but I am thinking it may have been the salad forks.

Given the similarity of the aspic slice to the ice cream knife or slice, I am wondering if aspic might have been eaten with ice cream forks? Having recently acquired a few of them, I can imagine they might work well with aspic.

posted 09-07-2010 11:40 AM            

The bowl of an aspic spoon is asymmetrical. Depending on the design, it may be sinuous, with several curves, or it may be have a single gentle curve, like a leaf. Aspic spoons are typically shallow, with a hint of a lip to prevent the aspic from sliding out of the spoon as it is used. One edge of the spoon is typically reinforced and a bit sharp, ensuring that people can cut through the various things one may encounter in aspic dishes, such as meats and vegetables.

Aspic was once a fixture at formal dinners, and it was often brought out in the form of a large and quite impressive mold studded with an assortment of ingredients. Using an aspic server, the hostess or the wait staff would cut out wedges of the jelly, which is notoriously unstable, requiring people to eat it quickly, before it melts or becomes lopsided. Aspic has a very unique texture, typically melting away in the mouth as it is consumed, and it sometimes has a strong flavor, depending on the meat or fish used to make it."
The above is all from the wiseGEEK website. No picture was shown at this site.

posted 09-17-2010 11:58 PM            

In the first half of my life, aspic was standard fare at receptions, Easter dinners, wakes, etc. (Invariably with deviled eggs and ham biscuits.)

We ate the aspic with forks.

The typical shape then, in the 1950s-60s, was that made with a ring mold. Certainly would have added drama to have a quivering tomato-ey tower next to the ham biscuits...