Definition

1. Noun:
   • A savory jelly made from meat or fish stock, used as a cold garnish or to encase other foods: Aspic is a clear, savory jelly that is typically made by clarifying meat, poultry, or fish stock with gelatin. It is used to coat or mold cold dishes such as meats, eggs, or vegetables, preserving them and adding visual appeal.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The chef prepared a beautiful terrine encased in a shimmering aspic.
  • For the buffet, the cold chicken was glazed with a thin layer of aspic.
  • Traditional recipes often use aspic to present pâtés and galantines.

Advanced Usage

• "In aspic": Used metaphorically to describe something preserved or frozen in time, unchanged.
  • The old town seemed preserved in aspic, untouched by modern development.

Variants and Related Words

• Chaud-froid (n): A similar culinary preparation involving a savory glaze, but often made with a béchamel or velouté sauce base instead of a clear jelly.
• Gelée (n): The French term for jelly, which can refer to both sweet and savory jellies, including aspic.

Synonyms

• Savory jelly
• Meat jelly
• Fish jelly

Related Phrases

(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs.)

Related Idioms

(This word is not commonly used in idioms beyond the metaphorical "in aspic.")

Noun

1. savory jelly based on fish or meat stock used as a mold for meats or vegetables