I'm sure that your first reaction at the name of this recipie was the same as mine when I first encountered it. Turkey Mousse? It sounds almost disturbing when you consider the only time any of us really encounter the term mousse is either as a creamy dessert or a hair care product. (A strange enough combination to prove disturbing just by itself, to be honest!) Mousse is a creamy whipped dessert that is most famous in it's French incarnation: Chocolate Mousse. Here, the term is used to describe a dish of a texture similar to the thick and creamy textured variants of Mousse.
Turkey Mousse is quite versatile but I think it is best suited for sandwiches. A nice crisp bit of lettuce, a juicy tomato, some mustard and a bit of the Turkey Mousse on wheat bread makes for an excellent lunch with a slightly elegant flare. The variant that I will be giving you here is molded and sliced. The recipe is from my Great-Grandmother Hazel.
Ingredients
(I'm breaking from my usual format because this one is a little complicated to follow.)
- 2 C cooked turkey, ground *
- 1/2 C mayonnaise*
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3/4 C tsp ground celery seed
- 3/4 C whipped heavy cream
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp unflavored gelatin
- 1/2 C cold chicken stock (or turkey stock if you have it!)
Preparation
In a medium bowl, blend together the turkey, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and celery seed. Carefully fold in the whipped cream (if you're too vigorous, the whipped cream will deflate some) and season to taste with the salt and pepper. In a small bowl over hot water, add the gelatin to your chicken stock and mix quickly until dissolved. Allow this to cool and fold carefully into the turkey mixture. Turn the final mixture into a greased bread pan and chill in the refrigerator until firm. Un-mold and slice.
*Note: The turkey can be replaced with equal amounts of chicken or ham. Also, the mayonnaise can be replaced with whipped salad dressing.
