043 / 75 · Lunch Plates and Buffet Slices
Turkey Pepper Olive Buffet Slices
One shallow turkey-pepper aspic slab, about 4 cups (970 ml), cut into 8 small buffet rectangles · Active 35 min · Total 10 hr 30 min
Print recipe · PDFA shallow rectangular mold turns cooked turkey, roasted pepper and olive into small buffet slices. The broth gel is pale and clear so the red and dark inclusions show. This is a refrigerated serving dish, with only a small batch put out at a time.
Check the tray’s depth as well as its width
An 8-by 6-inch tray with at least 2-inch sides holds about 1½ liters. A flatter sandwich tin of the same width may not provide enough capacity or headroom. Check by filling the empty tray with water, then empty and dry it before oiling. A roughly 3-centimeter food depth gives small flat rectangles rather than a tall showpiece loaf.
A buffet needs a cold serving plan
Use fully cooked ready-to-eat turkey cut small, and keep it refrigerated while the broth thickens. Drain both roasted pepper and pitted olives before cutting; jar liquid is not included in the calculation. Eight little rectangles each contain about 31 grams of turkey and are buffet portions, not complete main dishes. Keep the main tray cold and serve a few pieces on a chilled plate. Count cumulative room time, replace small batches with cold ones and do not top up an old warm plate with new slices. The word buffet does not make the gel a safe room-temperature centerpiece.
Ingredients
- 2 standard ¼-ounce envelopes unflavored powdered gelatin (14 g total), of specified setting strength
- 6 tablespoons cold drinking water (90 ml)
- 2 cups clear ready-to-use low-sodium turkey or chicken broth (480 ml), divided
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml)
- 9 oz fully cooked ready-to-eat plain turkey (250 g), safely chilled and cut into ¼-inch (5 mm) pieces
- ⅔ cup drained ready-to-eat roasted red pepper dice (100 g), patted dry
- ½ cup drained pitted ready-to-eat black olive rings (60 g), patted dry and chopped once if large
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon neutral oil (1.25 ml), for wiping tray
Set out
Knife and board, Sieve and clean towel, Small saucepan, Mixing bowl and spoon, Scale and measuring jug, Rectangular metal tray about 8 x 6 x 2 inches (20 x 15 x 5 cm), at least 1½-liter capacity, Paper towel, Food thermometer, Cold serving plate, Thin serving spatula, Refrigerator
Allergens
No major US allergen identified in the base ingredients. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Check turkey’s cooked ready-to-eat state and original deadline through service; keep cold. Drain/dry pepper and olives and take final weights. Verify tray dimensions and at least 1½-liter capacity with water, then empty, dry and oil lightly. Bloom gelatin over 90 ml cold water in mixing bowl 5–10 minutes.
- Heat 240 ml broth with black pepper to 140–150°F (60–65°C), remove from heat and stir into gelatin until dissolved. Add remaining 240 ml broth and lemon. Refrigerate 25–40 minutes, stirring gently every 10 minutes, until lightly syrupy.
- Fold in cold turkey, dry pepper dice and dry olive pieces. Spoon into tray and level gently, keeping at least ½ inch (1.25 cm) headroom. Refrigerate any excess in a separate covered cup. Cover and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or below at least 8 hours until firm.
- Allow 10½ hours total. For unmolding, set a cold plate beside the refrigerator. Dip only the outside of the metal mold in warm, not hot, water, about 100°F (38°C), for 5–8 seconds without letting water touch food. Dry the outside, loosen just the upper edge with a clean fingertip and invert onto the plate. If stuck, repeat a brief dip rather than shaking violently. Refrigerate again immediately if not serving now. Cut 8 small rectangles with clean knife and lift with a thin spatula. Serve a few cold slices at a time and keep remaining tray refrigerated.
Gelatin starting strength
Use food-grade unflavored powdered gelatin with a manufacturer benchmark of 7 g for about 2 cups (500 ml) plain liquid. Weigh the stated grams: envelope sizes and powder density vary. A flavored dessert packet, collagen peptides, sheet gelatin or agar is not an equal substitute.
Cold service
This is an original retro-inspired recipe, not a recovered 1960s formula. Gelatin is animal-derived; the vegetable ingredients do not make the dish vegetarian. A reliable refrigerator and the stated earlier ingredient deadlines are essential.
Ingredient labels
Broth, prepared turkey, roasted pepper and olives may add wheat, soy, celery or other allergens; check labels.
A useful detail
Free liquid totals 585 ml, plus 250 g turkey, 100 g roasted pepper and 60 g olive. Estimated finished volume 970 ml makes a shallow slab about 3 cm deep in a 20 x 15 cm tray. Fourteen grams gelatin supports the inclusion-filled slice; an undersized shallow tin is not assumed to fit.
Another way
- Use 60 g drained pitted green olives instead of black olives, accepting a paler and possibly saltier slice.
- Use 250 g fully cooked chilled ready-to-eat chicken instead of turkey, keeping its original poultry deadline.
Keep it well
Keep covered at 40°F (4°C) or below and use within 2 days of assembly AND within 3 days of the poultry’s original cooking, or an earlier commercial opening/use-by deadline, whichever comes first. The overnight set counts. Keep cumulative unrefrigerated preparation and service below 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C); discard beyond those limits. Do not freeze the finished gel.