French Blanc-mange

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor or large mortar and pestle
• •Strong nut-milk bag or tightly woven lint-free tea towel
• •Fine-mesh sieve and damp muslin
• •1-quart (950 ml) heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Six 3-ounce (90 ml) dariole molds or small ramekins
• •Digital kitchen scale

Instructions

1. 1

   Whiten the almonds

   Cover the almonds with boiling water and leave them for 60 seconds, then drain. Pinch each almond from its loosened brown skin while it is still warm. Put the white kernels in a bowl, cover generously with fresh cold water, and refrigerate for 4 hours, changing the water at least once. Inspect the seams before proceeding and remove every clinging scrap of skin. The almonds should be clean ivory throughout; any grey or beige left now will remain visible in the finished blanc-manger.

   Keep the soaking almonds cold. Fresh water preserves their clean flavor, while refrigeration prevents a long soak from turning sour.
2. 2

   Draw the almond milk

   Drain the almonds thoroughly and put them in a food processor. Process until finely chopped, then add the 1 cup of cold water one spoonful at a time, stopping frequently to scrape the bowl. Continue until the almonds form the finest wet paste the machine can manage. Spoon the paste into a dampened nut-milk bag or doubled tightly woven towel set over a bowl. Twist the cloth closed and wring with both hands until no more milk runs freely. Strain the milk once through a fine sieve. It should measure about 1½ cups (360 ml); if necessary, work a few spoonfuls of fresh water through the almond pulp and wring again to reach that measure. This hard extraction is the dish, not expendable labor.

   If the cloth slips or almond grit escapes, stop and strain the milk again through clean damp muslin. A smooth blanc-manger begins with milk free of particles.
3. 3

   Sweeten and set

   Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) of the almond milk into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatine evenly over its surface. Leave it for 5 minutes to bloom. Combine the remaining almond milk and sugar in a small saucepan, then warm gently while stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is clear. It should be hot but never boiling. Remove the pan from the heat, add the bloomed gelatine, and stir until every grain has disappeared. If gelatine clings to the spoon or pan, return it to the lowest heat and stir patiently; if a few specks remain, pass it through the sieve. Ça se rattrape. Strain the mixture through damp muslin into a jug, stir in the almond extract, and skim away any surface foam.

4. 4

   Mold and chill

   Rub the inside of six 3-ounce (90 ml) molds with the neutral oil, then wipe them almost dry with a clean cloth. The film should be barely perceptible, not greasy. Divide the almond mixture among the molds, tap each once against the counter to dislodge air bubbles, and cover without touching the surface. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until the centers are completely firm. Small molds chill from every side, which is why the original center tube and packed ice are no longer needed.

5. 5

   Turn out cleanly

   Chill the serving plates. Dip the outside of each mold in warm water for 3 to 5 seconds, dry it, and gently loosen the upper edge with a wet fingertip. Invert the plate over the mold, turn both together, and give one short downward shake. If the blanc-manger stays put, repeat the warm-water dip for only 2 seconds; too much warmth melts the fluted surface. Serve plain and well chilled, while the shape is crisp and the almond perfume remains delicate. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose fresh sweet almonds with a clean, milky scent. If they smell of paint, dust, or old oil, change the plan, because pounding concentrates every stale note.
• •The original bitter almonds scale to only two or three kernels for this batch, but raw bitter almonds and apricot kernels can contain dangerous cyanogenic compounds. Food-safe pure almond extract supplies their penetrating perfume without bringing that risk to the table.
• •The formula's bare half-ounce of gelatine becomes 13 grams here, preserving the book's deliberate, moldable set. This isn't meant to tremble like a cream pudding; it must hold a fluted shape while remaining tender beneath the spoon.
• •Use a tightly woven, lint-free towel or a strong nut-milk bag. Cheesecloth alone is too open and fragile for the twisting pressure needed to extract the milk.
• •The source offers thin cream as an alternative during pounding, but the water-drawn almond milk is kept here because its clean whiteness and direct almond flavor define this particular preparation.

Advance Preparation

• •Skin and soak the almonds in the morning, then make and mold the blanc-manger that evening. An overnight chill gives the cleanest release.
• •The filled molds can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Unmold them shortly before serving so their surfaces remain smooth and moist.
• •Do not freeze the blanc-manger. Freezing damages the gelatine structure and the thawed pudding may weep.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 220g)