CLASSIC BLANCMANGE WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE

Do you recall the comedy sketch from Monty Python’s Flying Circus where giant tennis-playing blancmange puddings swallowed opponents at Wimbledon? That zany episode not only made me a Python fan but also stirred my culinary curiosity— just what was a blancmange? A bit of research yielded this definition: blancmange is simply a white pudding made from freshly pressed almond milk. A blancmange recipe is first found in an early 13th-century Danish cookbook, but it is believed to have spread across Europe through Arab trade routes. Originally a savory dish, by the 17th century it moved squarely into the dessert category with sugar, gelatin, and sometimes cream in the mix.

To emulate the elegant loveliness of the blancmange, I turned to the first American edition of Larousse Gastronomique, Prosper Montagné’s encyclopedia of French cookery. There I found famed 19th-century chef Antonin Carême’s recipe, slightly adapted here to allow the use of a food processor, almond extract, and, notably, gelatin powder—a modern-day substitute for the isinglass or fish bladder gelatin that was used in Carême’s time.

You can make this classic blancmange with cream or omit the cream for a dairy-free version. Both are very good. Because red berries go well with blancmange, I’ve included a red raspberry sauce. Spoon it over the puddings or serve it alongside, with extra fresh berries sprinkled on top.

Servings: Cream version makes 6 cups; Dairy-free version makes 3 cups.

INGREDIENTS

For the blancmange

• 1 pound (3 cups) raw almonds, skins on
• 3 cups whipping cream (OR for dairy-free version, omit cream)
• 3/4 cup sugar (or 2/3 cup for dairy-free version)
• 2, 2 1/2 teaspoon envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin (OR for dairy-free version, use only 1 envelope)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (OR 1/2 teaspoon if making dairy-free version)
• Vegetable oil to lightly coat pudding molds

For the raspberry sauce

• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 pints fresh raspberries (remove 1/2 cup of them to use for garnish)
• 3 tablespoons raspberry liqueur

METHOD

Prepare almonds

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, cover almonds with 5 cups water. Heat to boiling and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour almonds into colander placed in sink to drain. Fill a bowl with cool water and soak boiled almonds for 5 minutes. Rub almonds together or pinch each almond to slip skin off. Discard skins. Strain water off blanched (now skinless) almonds. Place blanched almonds in a food processor and pulse to chop. Add 1 cup of water and pulse again. Add second cup of water and pulse again until water and almonds are finely ground into a slurry. Place a finely woven clean cloth over a bowl; pour almond slurry into the cloth. Gather the ends of the cloth up to make a bundle. Twist tightly and squeeze the bundle to extract all of the milk. Open the cloth and place the ground almonds back in the bowl of the food processor. Add 1 cup of water and pulse. Repeat the extraction once again. You will now have 3 cups of fresh almond milk.

Make blancmange

For the version including the cream: Soften two packets of gelatin in 2 tablespoons of warm water. Pour almond milk into a pot set over medium heat. Add sugar, softened gelatin, and cream. Stir until mixture boils. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla paste and almond extract. You will have about 6 cups of liquid pudding. OR If making dairy-free version: Soften 1 packet of gelatin in 1 tablespoon warm water. Pour almond milk into a pot set over medium heat and add sugar and softened gelatin. Stir until boiling. Remove from heat and once room temperature, stir in vanilla paste and almond extract. You will have about 3 cups of liquid pudding.

Pour into cups or molds

Using your finger, lightly grease the insides of your choice of small molds or serving cups and/or decorative molds. Pour liquid into each. Refrigerate until set. (I let them chill overnight.)

Make raspberry sauce

In a small pot over medium heat, make a simple syrup by whisking sugar with 1/3 cup water. Heat to boiling, whisking until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool. Puree syrup with raspberries and liqueur. Pour puree through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing with the back of a spoon. Discard raspberry seeds.

Assemble dessert

If serving blancmange puddings in cups, pour a little raspberry sauce into each cup and top with fresh raspberry. If unmolding from forms, dip each form into hot water for a few scant seconds. Then, invert each over serving plate to release pudding. If a pudding needs a little encouragement to release, use your plastic-gloved fingers to gently coax it away from the inside edge of the mold as you invert it. Add a few fresh raspberries and pool a little sauce on each plate or serve sauce at table.