P&Q Raspberry Blanc-Manger « Tuesdays with Dorie

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P&Q Raspberry Blanc-Manger

July 15, 2009 by CB

I’ve heard of blank check, blank stare, point blank but… Blanc Manger?

Posted in P&Q | 70 Comments

70 Responses

on July 15, 2009 at 7:42 am | Reply steph (whisk/spoon)

so glad this P&Q is up…i don’t eat regular gelatin, so have been thinking of passing on this one. i do have a packet of ko-jel, which is a vegetarian (and kosher) gelatin. i have never used it before, so am interested to know if anyone has had experience with it.
on July 15, 2009 at 10:38 am | Reply Rosasharne

Does it say anything on the package about its properties? Sometimes there are specific directions that relate it to gelatin. I am often trying out things like agar, etc… so am interested in any subs anyone does with this recipe.
- on July 15, 2009 at 1:29 pm | Reply steph (whisk/spoon)
  
  yeah, it does have instructions on how to sub for gelatin, so maybe i will give it a shot. i’ll definitely scale down the recipe, so that there’s not as much waste if it doesn’t work out texture-wise or something.
on July 15, 2009 at 11:48 am | Reply Mary

I think I am going to try it with agar agar. I will try to work out the details and post my plan as soon as I can.
- on July 15, 2009 at 1:28 pm | Reply steph (whisk/spoon)
  
  excellent…can’t wait to see! i’ve never gotten quite what i want with agar, but i think that’s cuz i don’t really know what i’m doing with it.
  - on July 15, 2009 at 6:41 pm Mary
    
    I don’t really know what I’m doing either! But I will let you know what I try. I have used agar agar with fruit juice to make a jello type snack successfully, but I have also tried it in a panna cotta recipe that did not work.
    
    I have seen a couple sources saying to sub agar agar powder for equal amount of gelatin, so i think that is what I will try.
    
    This seemed informative and also mentioned certain fruits affecting the gelling properties of agar agar- http://www.vegsoc.org/info/gelling.html
  - on July 16, 2009 at 2:47 pm Mary
    
    Update to agar agar attempt: I don’t think it is going to work, at least the way I did it. I followed Dorie’s recipe exactly, just subbing agar agar powder for the gelatin.
    
    problem 1- Mixing the agar with water and trying to melt it didn’t work well. I tried in the microwave. So I added it and melted it in the boiling milk/almond/sugar mixture. If I made this again, I would just put the agar powder directly into the milk mixture.
    
    problem 2- In trying to get the mixture cool enough to fold the whipped cream in, the agar gelled. It was still war to touch. At this point, I *think* I could have reheated it to re-melt the agar. But did I think of that at the time? No. I whisked the whipped cream in, trying to incorporate the globs of gel. It’s not pretty. I went ahead and folded in the blackberries (cause I am crazy I guess) and put in the fridge and will see what happens.
    
    Sorry I couldn’t be more help with a vegetarian version! I don’t know if I will try it again or not.
on July 15, 2009 at 11:54 am | Reply tianne

July 21 is my Birthday so I think I might pass on this one. I also don’t use gelatin ever, but it looks like a interesting recipe.
on July 15, 2009 at 1:48 pm | Reply Marthe

Can’t wait to try this, may even give it a go friday as I’ll have a friend over for dinner.
on July 15, 2009 at 4:15 pm | Reply Amanda

just subbing to comments
on July 15, 2009 at 10:11 pm | Reply Jeff

Subscribing to comments……. for now
- on July 15, 2009 at 10:12 pm | Reply Jeff
  
  Forgot to “check” the box…..
on July 16, 2009 at 1:08 am | Reply mikejdunlap

Mike scratches his head wondering “what’s so bad about gelatin”? I made a batch of the sweet tart dough to use as a base. This looks like a kind of “mousse” or something. Has anyone here made it before?
- on July 16, 2009 at 10:32 am | Reply Mary
  
  Mike, I am vegetarian, so I can’t use gelatin, which is an animal product.
  - on July 17, 2009 at 7:12 pm mikejdunlap
    
    Wow. You learn something new every day… I had no idea. Hm… I’m not sure if I *want* to know where it comes from, exactly.
  - on July 17, 2009 at 10:50 pm Bungalow Barbara
    
    Mike, you probably really don’t. But if you change your mind, here’s a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin#Production
    
    Here’s a hint: If you’ve ever made a broth or stock using bones as well as meat, and had it solidify upon cooling, you’ve extracted your own gelatin.
on July 16, 2009 at 1:28 am | Reply Judy

I made mine this afternoon so it would chill while I was at work this evening. It came out very nicely. I served it with a raspberry coulis and fresh berries. I did line my pan with plastic wrap to make it easier to unmold.
on July 16, 2009 at 7:08 am | Reply Nancy/n.o.e

We really enjoyed this one! It was a great recipe for me to share with my celiac friend (especially exciting since I ruined the dacquoise I was going to give her) It’s pretty straightforward; I made mine with blackberries. I split my batch into two pans that seemed to be the right size; the best thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t rise, so if it fits in the pan it will be fine! Great texture and taste – like a dense mousse.
on July 16, 2009 at 9:48 am | Reply Becky O.

I’m on the fence about making this. I’m glad it has already worked out for some of you!
on July 16, 2009 at 10:59 am | Reply Leslie

I made this a few weeks ago and it was a huge hit at work. Very, very easy recipe. I’ll experiment with different fruits (I was paranoid that the fruits I was thinking about, like cherries, weren’t “soft.” After much hesitation, I used Trader Joe’s ground almonds. They’ve got their skins so it wasn’t as pure white as the photo in the book, but it was fine and I was glad I didn’t dirty the food processor. If I was making it for company I might grind my own almonds. The texture seems light, which was amusing to me after how much whipping cream I poured in the bowl!
- on July 16, 2009 at 11:13 am | Reply Mary
  
  I have whole almonds, so I was wondering if I should blanch them before I grind them? I hate blanching them!Maybe I just don’t know how to do it right. I pour boiling water on them, cover the bowl, let it set for a minute (or two) and then try to peel them with my fingers. It always takes me an eternity to do this. Should I let them sit longer? Should I just grind them with the skins?
  - on July 16, 2009 at 12:39 pm Amanda
    
    Just let them sit a LITTLE longer, not too long or the moisture soaks into the skins. I did a post on how to do this on a blog I work for here http://oldtips.blogspot.com/2009/04/tuesday-tips-how-to-blanch-almonds.html
  - on July 16, 2009 at 1:18 pm Bungalow Barbara
    
    I blanch almonds the same way and getting the skins off always is the tedious part. I usually try to get my husband to help, we can talk while we work and laugh together as the almonds squirt out of their skins and end up all over the place. And I usually do a lot of them and then store the extra blanched almonds in the fridge or freezer for when I need them.
  - on July 16, 2009 at 1:20 pm Bungalow Barbara
    
    Oh, and I was going to say, I bet this would be great with whole almonds, just not as “pure white” looking. Personally I love the rustic look…
  - on July 16, 2009 at 2:45 pm Leslie
    
    You guys have more patience than I do. If it came down to blanching almonds or using them with skins, the skins would win out every time. And I agree with Barbara, I love the rustic look.
- on July 16, 2009 at 5:35 pm | Reply Nancy/n.o.e
  
  I use Trader Joe’s almonds all the time because I cannot get mine as fine when I grind them in the food processor. (Yup,I’m a fan of rustic, too) Fineness is an advantage in this recipe. I found some almond flour in the Bob’s Red Mill section of Whole Foods – blanched and even finer than Trader Joe’s.
  - on July 17, 2009 at 11:44 am Leslie
    
    Thanks for the tip, Nancy. I never thought of looking in that area. This is a great find!
  - on July 17, 2009 at 7:18 pm mikejdunlap
    
    Nancy – true, I can never grind as fine as *bought* almond flour. I always add a Tbs. or two of granulated sugar when grinding. It absorbs the “oil” so the almonds stay drier and you can grind longer (or more fine) as I convince myself!
on July 16, 2009 at 12:42 pm | Reply Amanda

My neighbor was kind enough to let me pick a ton of sour cherries from his tree I wonder how they would be in this, if there’s enough sugar in it to counteract the tartness? For the topping I could soak them in sugar and some sort of liquor, but I’m thinking of the ones that will go inside the dessert. Any thoughts? If not, I’ll go next door and pick a bunch of blackberries LOL!
- on July 16, 2009 at 1:22 pm | Reply Bungalow Barbara
  
  Ooh, lucky you, a ton of sour cherries! How about soaking all the ones for this dessert in sugar and liquor? You could fold a little of the soaking juice in with the cherries, for a “pink” manger!
  
  Of course, blackberries would be luscious too. Wow, lucky lucky you!
- on July 16, 2009 at 5:37 pm | Reply Nancy/n.o.e
  
  I’ve never baked with sour cherries, so I cannot directly answer your question. It’s not an ultra-sweet dessert, though. I made mine with blackberries and loved it.
- on July 16, 2009 at 6:54 pm | Reply Katya
  
  I am so jealous. I had some pitted sour cherries in the freezer, and put them in, didn’t even sweeten at all, and they were good.
  - on July 17, 2009 at 7:15 pm mikejdunlap
    
    I’m driving up to Green Bluff this weekend – to pick sour/tart cherries (or as the GB growers call them, *pie cherries*. The 1st *cherry* weekend of the season. You can’t get them in the stores here.
on July 16, 2009 at 9:16 pm | Reply Joy

Do you think I could try this with red currants?
- on July 17, 2009 at 11:42 am | Reply Leslie
  
  I don’t see why not! I’d taste them and adjust the sugar accordingly.
  - on July 17, 2009 at 4:35 pm steph (whisk/spoon)
    
    i was thinking about red currant, too, as i can buy them at the farmer’s market right now and they are so pretty! i think it would work great.
- on July 17, 2009 at 5:17 pm | Reply Joy
  
  Thanks Leslie and Steph!
  I’d just gotten some for the first time at a farm stand, and they’re just gorgeous! Since I’ve not tried making anything with them yet, I wasn’t sure if they’d work ok. I’m so excited to try it! Thanks!
  - on July 17, 2009 at 5:36 pm Audrey
    
    I saw PINK currants at Whole Foods and they were so pretty I wanted to buy them just for the color! Can’t wait to see if you like them in this.
  - on July 21, 2009 at 7:51 am Joy
    
    Sorry I’m so slow – I finally got this made yesterday, but I liked the currants with it. I was afraid they might be too tart, but I thought they balanced well. I’d like to try a raspberry-currant one, too!
on July 17, 2009 at 8:51 am | Reply Jennifer

One piece of advice, don’t sniff the gelatin (once it’s mixed with the water.) It does not smell good!
- on July 17, 2009 at 8:52 am | Reply Jennifer
  
  Oh, and why does my almond milk mixture smell exactly like oatmeal?
  (And since I didn’t blanche and peel the almonds, it looks exactly like it, too)
on July 17, 2009 at 9:22 am | Reply Mary

I made mine with the agar agar, and I thought it wasn’t going to turn out because I thought it gelled too much before I got the whipped cream in. It actually turned out a nice homogeneous consistency, so I was happily surprised. Except for the almonds, mine did not get ground super finely, and gave it an odd texture.
- on July 17, 2009 at 4:45 pm | Reply steph (whisk/spoon)
  
  am kind of wondering about the texture the almonds will add, and if it will be unpleasant…i’ve made my own almond milk plenty of times, squeezing thru cheesecloth to extract the liquid and toss the spent almonds. am considering doing this.
  
  so with the agar, did you boil it down in water or something separately before adding to hot milk? i’m pretty sure that the reason i haven’t had luck with agar before is that i haven’t cooked it long enough (so i’ve gotten a gritty texture in other mousses i’ve made). i’ve added it directly to the hot dairy, so i wouldn’t add extra water or liquid to the recipe…but then i’ve been scared to boil or simmer dairy too long and make a huge mess on the stove top or burn the milk!
  - on July 17, 2009 at 8:13 pm Leslie
    
    I didn’t notice the almonds at all in the finished desert…it’s not like eating a lovely light mousse with grit in it.
  - on July 18, 2009 at 11:00 am Mary
    
    Steph, I put the agar powder with three T of water in the microwave for 15 seconds. I thought this was a mistake, because it just became a weird glob. But in the end it worked out. I put the glob in the hot milk mixture and it did boil for a minute or so.
on July 17, 2009 at 11:47 am | Reply Amy Ruth

I keep Red Mill Almond Flour around. Has anyone used this in place of the ground almonds? If not, why not just ground up blanched slivered almonds?
AmyRuth
- on July 17, 2009 at 3:36 pm | Reply Madam Chow
  
  You can grind up a batch of almonds – I do it all the time.It won’t be as fine as commercially ground almonds,but it seems to work ok!
- on July 17, 2009 at 8:14 pm | Reply Leslie
  
  I think Nancy did. She mentioned finding it at Whole Foods, and seems like she enjoyed the dessert.
- on July 18, 2009 at 12:41 pm | Reply Jacque
  
  I used Red Mill Almond Flour and it worked fine. It’s just ground almonds. I find that I’m not able to grind almonds as fine as they are. I use the almond flour when I’m feeling lazy and when I’ve managed to forget how expensive it is, LOL.
on July 17, 2009 at 5:37 pm | Reply Audrey

I have a pretty silicone pan (six flower shapes) that I was thinking of using….does anyone think shaping this in the silicone would be a problem?
thanks!
Audrey
on July 17, 2009 at 5:38 pm | Reply Audrey

ps Nancy and others, thanks for telling us about the ground almonds at Trader Joe’s! I hope they have them at my local TJs – French Yogurt Cake and blanc manger, here we come!
- on July 17, 2009 at 6:28 pm | Reply Rachelle @ "Mommy? I'm Hungry!"
  
  TJ’s nuts are the best (deal) around! Love them!
  I think I might make this recipe, but maybe just ground some slivered almonds.
on July 17, 2009 at 6:30 pm | Reply Rachelle @ "Mommy? I'm Hungry!"

Oh! I wanted to ask, fresh or frozen berries for this? I’m assuming fresh, so they don’t bleed when thawing?
- on July 17, 2009 at 8:15 pm | Reply Leslie
  
  I think fresh is best here for that very reason.
  - on July 17, 2009 at 10:45 pm Bungalow Barbara
    
    Or, you can use frozen and tell everyone that you actually WANTED them to bleed. As the computer programmers say, “It’s not a bug, it’s a feature!”
on July 18, 2009 at 6:01 pm | Reply Rachelle @ "Mommy? I'm Hungry!"

Hey, if your milk gels up…heat it back down, and re do. LOL, it worked for me!

Mine is chilling now, hopefully I can get a piece for photos before the sunlight is gone later.

(oh yeah, that gelatin does stink! lol)
on July 19, 2009 at 4:08 pm | Reply mike

Question – I’m using raspberries I bought a few weeks ago – and froze. The recipe says to cut in small pieces. Did you all cut your raspberries – or leave them whole? Cutting frozen raspberries makes a mess of “raspberry crumbs” rather than “small pieces”. Thanks in advance!

*** Also – (this always happens to me). I left my book at work to xerox the recipes. But forgot to copy the “raspberry coulis” – is there an online source for this – or is this a simple raspberry sauce??? Thanks again!
- on July 19, 2009 at 5:14 pm | Reply Leslie
  
  I left my raspberries whole. And you’re hunch about the coulis is right–it’s a basic raspberry sauce. Just raspberries and sugar to taste. Dump it in the FP, then strain the seeds. Don’t make the mistake I made…save some raspberries to decorate the top of the blanc manger.
  - on July 19, 2009 at 7:22 pm Nancy (n.o.e.)
    
    haha, I made the same mistake! Thank goodness for mint leaves, is all I can say. And one more thing – there’s no do-over on drizzling the coulis on that white surface. I clearly need practice on that!
  - on July 20, 2009 at 12:00 pm Leslie
    
    Me too! My raspberry coulis resembles an amoeba!
on July 19, 2009 at 8:55 pm | Reply Kaitlin

I just can’t handle nuts in my baked goods, so I’m going to be trying this dessert without the almonds. So far it seems like there is way too little liquid to make enough – I may substitute more milk for the almonds, hopefully it’ll still firm up.
on July 20, 2009 at 10:10 am | Reply Katrina

I just made it with hazelnuts instead of almonds and chocolate/hazelnut flavoring instead of vanilla. I’m planning to spread thinned out Nutella over the top. All I can say right now is licking the spoon was heavenly–and I’m not big on real whipped cream. Kaitlin–it didn’t seem like enough until I added the whipped cream–then it was plenty!It’s chillin’ until tonight!
- on July 20, 2009 at 11:32 am | Reply theeclecticconnoisseur
  
  Katrina, the hazelnut/chocolate combo sounds fantastic! I did the raspberry/vanilla combo topped with raspberry coulis for dessert last night. Everyone loved it so I plan to make it again, but I’ll try your version next time.
- on July 20, 2009 at 9:40 pm | Reply Kaitlin
  
  You’re totally right Katrina – I totally forgot about the whipped cream, until the last minute. I ended up using the same amount of liquid after all, and just skipping the almonds. It set up just fine, but is probably a bit airier than it’s supposed to be.
on July 20, 2009 at 12:25 pm | Reply Jeff

The hazlenut/chocolate combination sounds great and is something to file a way for another attempt! Did you toast the hazlenuts before chopping?

I just finished this (several versions of this) and it is very good. I am wondering though if anyone else thought it left sort of a film on the top of the mouth (from all the whip cream???). Other than that – it was very good and a dessert everyone loved.
on July 20, 2009 at 11:43 pm | Reply Margot

My milk/gelatin mixture gelled up. I added some more milk and whisked it to thin it out, and it looked fine when I mixed in the cream and berries – I guess I’ll find out for sure tomorrow.
- on July 21, 2009 at 11:02 am | Reply Rachelle @ "Mommy? I'm Hungry!"
  
  Mine did too, and I think that messed mine up, when I reheated it and recooled it. I don’t know…
on July 21, 2009 at 11:01 am | Reply Rachelle @ "Mommy? I'm Hungry!"

Seeing everyone else’s I think I messed mine up. Mine was not creamy, it was more firm. Hmmm???
on July 21, 2009 at 4:10 pm | Reply Clivia

Wasn’t sure where to post this, but I wanted to pass it along to all the Canadian TWD members.
Indigo Books, http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/ ,
is having a cookbook sale this week. Seven cookbooks are on for $7 each.
I bought a couple, and then to get free shipping adding another couple of books that I hope the new reading group gets to.
on July 21, 2009 at 4:39 pm | Reply Chez US

Finally posted … it was so good!

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