Sounds very French so that it fits the HFF Challenge for people currently living in the United States, but also sounds completely bland. But, if so, how has the recipe survived for these many years? And since the recipe is in our October/November/December 1950 CBS Homemakers Exchange Recipes, we are going to find out why.
A little more research and we find the history from the ifood website ifood Explanation of Blanc Mange:
Blancmange is a French pudding or dessert which had originated during the
middle ages. The Blancmange is also known as ‘Shape’, due to its typical shape
which is made out of moulds. The food received its name from the French word –
‘blanc’ which means “white” and ‘manger’ which means “eating” or “food.” It was
known as ‘white dish’ among the English Upper class. The traditional Blancmange
has a very mild flavor of fruit syrup, sauces or fresh fruits. It is believed
that the origin of the Blancmange recipe has been related to the Arab world, due
to the rich use of almond in the dessert. The dessert is commonly prepared with
milk or cream, sugar thickened with gelatin, cornstarch or Irish moss, and
almond flavored. The origin of Blancmange is not certain, the dish is claimed to have originated
as a result of introducing almonds and rice in pre- medieval Europe through Arab
trading. One of the oldest recipes found for the Blancmange is in German.
Several variations have been found for this recipe, including recipes from the
15th century.
Now this is a recipe that has some history!
Ingredients are very simple:
Scalding milk was generally done to destroy harmful bacteria but still has some great cooking advantages. If you are baking and need a large quantity of milk, scalding will destroy a protein that reduces volume in bakery. In our case scalding destroys enzymes that keep milk from thickening. Put the milk in a pan, heat on med-low until bubbles form on the edge of the milk and steam starts to be released.
After that it's a simple recipe although it takes close attention. The mixture thickens to a beautiful pudding consistency.
Although the recipe calls for an eggnog sauce, our family enjoys cinnamon and in the true blanc mange tradition, whatever flavor or color or shape you enjoy is your choice. And here is our finished Blanc Mange served in cups on china saucers.
Smooth! Creamy! Sweet! Fabulous!
We've never had the pleasure of traveling to France and perhaps never will, but we can enjoy the pleasures of any country through their cuisine. Patrick's father, Arthur Marvin Murray, was in France.
In March of 1941 he was a young man attending Davidson College in North Carolina.
As many young men of his time he left college to serve his country during World War II and was in Paris during the Liberation. His notes on the back of the photos are quoted.
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| "Made in Paris, France" |
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| "Place de la Concorde, showing Obelisk and Eifel Tower" |
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| "L'Arc de Triomphe taken from the Champs Elysees (main drag)" |
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| "Notre Dame. Picture made while standing on exact geographical center of Paris." |
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| Arthur Marvin Murray, March 1941 |
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| Marvin Patrick Murray, April 2011
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The Challenge: #4 Foreign Foods
The Recipe: CBS Homemakers Exchange Recipes
The Date/Year and Region: October/November/December 1951, United States
How Did You Make It: Followed recipe exactly.
Time to Complete: 1 hour plus chilling time
Total Cost: $4.00
How Successful Was It? Serving it to company. That's success!
How Accurate Is It? All except for using molds.
We should probably say "Bon Appétit",
Patrick and Jeanette
I've read about blanc mange in British novels and wondered how it tasted. It looks very pretty in your cups.
ReplyDeleteThank you, QNPoohBear! As I've heard said, we eat first with our eyes. Hope you try the recipe!
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