Apricot blancmange
Blancmange is a very old dessert recipe, going back to the middle-ages. Updated for our century, it's almond milk with whipped cream and a smooth apricot puree.
312 K 4.5/5 (26 reviews)
3 hours 15 min.
Easy
8 people
10 IngredientsLast modified on: August 23th 2011
For 8 people, you will need:
- 1
250 ml Milk - 2
100 g caster sugar - 3
30 g ground almonds - 4
2 sheets gelatin - 5
300 g stewed apricots - 6
2 g agar-agar - 7
150 ml liquid cream - 8
15 g vanilla sugar - 9
6 fresh mint leaves - 10
4 drops bitter almond essence (optional) - Total weight: 860 grams
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 40 min.
Resting: 2 hours 20 min.
Cooking: 15 min.
All in all: 3 hours 15 min.
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: 16:20.Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 1 min.
Soak 2 sheets gelatin in a big bowl of cold water.
Stage 2 - 2 min.
Stage 3 - 5 min.
Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Take off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for at least one hour.
Stage 4 - 2 min.
Pour 300 g stewed apricots through a fine strainer into a pan.
Stage 5 - 5 min.
Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring fequently, then add 2 g agar-agar, and bring back to the boil beating vigourously.
Stage 6 - 10 min.
Put the pan into cold water to cool, stirring occasionally.
Agar-agar will thicken apricot coulis and set on cooling.
Agar-agar will thicken apricot coulis and set on cooling.
Stage 7 - 5 min.
To return to the almond milk: pour almond milk (now a thick purée) through a fine strainer into a pan, pushing it through with a soft spatula.
Stage 8
You will then have almond milk.
Stage 9 - 5 min.
Heat almond milk on medium heat, stirring constantly, but do not boil.
When hot, remove from heat and add the drained and dried sheets of gelatin, while stirring.
When hot, remove from heat and add the drained and dried sheets of gelatin, while stirring.
Stage 10 - 10 min.
Put pan to cool in cold water, stirring from time to time.
Stage 11 - 1 min.
When almond milk is cold, add 4 drops bitter almond essence if desired.
Stage 12 - 5 min.
Stage 13 - 1 min.
Pour ¼ of cold almond milk into whipped cream.
Stage 14 - 3 min.
Mix thoroughly with a maryse or spatula.
Stage 15 - 1 min.
Pour this into the rest of the almond milk...
Stage 16 - 5 min.
...and fold in gently.
Stage 17 - 10 min.
Pour the blancmange into silicone moulds or small glasses, with alternate layers of almonds milk and apricot coulis.
For small glasses finish with a drop of coulis on top.
Put in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
For small glasses finish with a drop of coulis on top.
Put in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Stage 18 - 2 hours
Blancmange in glasses is served as it is.
Stage 19 - 3 min.
Blancmange in a mould should be turned out onto serving plate, and can be surrounded with red fruit coulis or crème anglaise and decorated with a mint leaf on top.
Remarks
You can make the same recipe with fruits other than apricots.
Blancmange is a recipe appearing in the "Viandier" of Guillaume TIREL, also called Taillevent, master cook to king Charles VI of France in the XIIth century. The "Viandier" is the first cook book written in French rather than Latin, it is said that the blancmange recipe is the only one which can be made today without modifications.
Blancmange is a recipe appearing in the "Viandier" of Guillaume TIREL, also called Taillevent, master cook to king Charles VI of France in the XIIth century. The "Viandier" is the first cook book written in French rather than Latin, it is said that the blancmange recipe is the only one which can be made today without modifications.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, covered by a plastic film.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 50 RDI=20 % | 1,280 RDI=120 % | 70 RDI=10 % | 1,640 RDI=80 % | 6,860 RDI: 80 % |
| Per 100 g | 6 RDI=2 % | 150 RDI=10 % | 8 RDI=1 % | 190 RDI=10 % | 800 RDI: 10 % |
| Per person | 6 RDI=3 % | 160 RDI=20 % | 9 RDI=1 % | 200 RDI=10 % | 860 RDI: 10 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 8 people : £4.10
- Per person : £0.55
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Stewed apricots
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example:
Milk
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Liquid cream
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Caster sugar
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