Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Tuesdays with Dorie -- Raspberry Blanc-Manger (vegetarian--no gelatin)


A Blanc-Manger is a molded custard made from cream or milk, and frequently almonds. It's a very old recipe--dating back to the Middle Ages. I've never made one before since the modern recipe calls for gelatin--an animal product. I didn't want to miss out on another recipe, and since a Blanc-Manger is easy to make, I thought I'd try making a vegetarian version with agar agar. Agar agar is a gelling product derived from seaweed.

I used 3 tablespoons of agar agar boiled for about 5 minutes with about 1/2 cup of milk and a little water. Apparently, I should have used more agar agar as my Blanc-Manger didn't firm up quite enough. It didn't hold it's shape very well at all. Still, I think the flavor was consistent with a gelatin made version.

This Blanc-Manger has berries in it which is a nice touch as they add some flavor. The flavor without the berries is mildly almond, but really mainly just creamy.


Please see the lovely blog Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy for the recipe, and to see photos of a much firmer Blanc-Manger.
http://stickygooeycreamychewy.com/2009/07/21/twd-raspberry-blanc-manger/
Here are all the very talented TWD bakers:
http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/

Does anyone remember the Monty Python sketch about the tennis playing Blancmange?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8rkBwWjYxo

15 comments:

  1. I love all those berries on top! Great job with the vegetarian version!!!

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  2. Your blanc manger is gorgeous! I topped mine with some fresh blueberries too and I loved all of the colors :)

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  3. Way to go for making this vegetarian! I love the combination of blueberries and raspberries.

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  4. My friend, Secret Server, also made hers with agar agar and it came out pretty well. I think she subbed it in 1:1 for the gelatin.
    I don't know if it was just me, but I thought it tasted kind of oatmeal-y. Maybe it was because my almonds weren't blanched?
    http://peoriasecretserver.blogspot.com/2009/07/blackberry-blanc-manger-twd-post.html

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  5. I'm glad you were able to find a substitute for the gelatin. All those berries look great!

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  6. Gold star to you for trying to make a vegetarian friendly blancmanger. I have never been a fan of it, must be to do with school dinners, when I was none the wiser that they were made with animal gelatine.Ugh.

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  7. Your blanc manger looks delicious
    Nice job with the vegetarian version!

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  8. It looks great with the fresh berries. The vegetarian version looks like a success!

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  9. I love the berries on top - they look so nice and juicy! I think your blanc-manger turned out lovely! I agree, the almond flavor was very mild for me too and needed the raspberry bits mixed into it.
    Where do you buy agar agar? With all the talk about what goes into gelatin, it kind of grosses me out although the blanc-manger was still tasty! =)

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  10. Another great looking dessert!!

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  11. I used agar agar too - it worked pretty well for me. I used the powder instead of the flakes. Yours looks delicious!!

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  12. I love all the pretty berries you used to decorate - very summery!

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  13. Great job! It looks beautiful and colorful! Almond flavoring and blueberries go well together but the raspberries would take it up a notch! Lovely!!

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  14. Jennifer- I read her blog and I love it! She did a great job with the blanc-manger.

    Thank you for all the wonderful comments!

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