In the novel In Old Bellaire, set in the actual town of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in the 1860s, a dinner party is held. Mary Johnson Dillon, the author, has the young ladies of the family hosting local friends and dashing officers from the near-by army post. The menu is described in detail and it includes one tantalizing item: “Grape Mousse” for dessert. My mother set out to track down this unheard-of delicacy and she found it: the ‘mousse’ was a frozen combination of grape jelly and whipped cream. In the summer, my mother would serve this to guests as an easy-to-prepare, make-ahead, delightful dessert.

One day recently, I thought to revive the old recipe, but having no grape jelly, I substituted Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam and it was a great success.

The recipe is simplicity itself:

Sv 4-6	ramekins or wine coupes
1 cup whipping cream	With electric beaters, whip until almost forming peaks.
4-6 oz strawberry-rhubarb jam	Add jam and continue to beat until incorporated.
	Distribute among ramekins or wine coupes. Freeze 2 hrs.

Try this old-time dessert this summer — you are sure to like it.

This is the blog of the Bennington Rhubarb Festival, started in 2013 to benefit the G.E.P. Dodge Library Building Fund.

If you would like to help the Building Fund, please contribute any amount to the G.E.P. Dodge Library Building Fund, Bennington, NH 03442.

The next blog installment will be posted on July 30, 2024. If you click the Follow button, all future posts will be sent straight to your inbox every month.