Blancmange is a French dessert, made from milk, sugar and cornstarch. It is very similar to Vanilla Pudding, however blancmange is thicker and will hold it’s shape when tipped out of a mold. It does not contain gelatin, like a Panna Cotta.
If you want to learn how to say Blancmange correctly you can hear it at Howjsay. I love this website – whenever I come across a word I haven’t seen before I open up Howjsay and type in the word. I’m well known for mashing my words, and it occasionally saves me from a little embarrassment. Luckily, I can sometimes blame my accent on how I say something!
Mum used to make blancmange for us, when I was a child. Being the girly, girl that I was, I thought it was wonderful because she always made pink and white blancmange. Mum, however, made hers in a round bowl. The dessert was then sliced and served. I have made mine using my Backyard Bugs Pan
My wonderful husband gave this to me many years ago, and I love it so much. It’s always nice to have an excuse to pull it out and use it.
This recipe involves lots of stirring, otherwise the milk will burn on the bottom of the saucepan. But those 10 or so minutes of stirring are worth it for this creamy, sweet vanilla dessert.
- 4 level tablespoons cornstarch
- 6 level tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups full cream milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 drops red food coloring (optional)
- Lightly grease a glass bowl or molds, to ensure that the blancmange will tip out easily.
- Place the sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan.
- Slowly add 4 tablespoons of milk, taken from the 2 cups, and stir to make a smooth paste.
- Add the remainder of the milk and stir to combine.
- Bring the milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Allow the milk to boil for an extra 2-3 minutes. The milk should be thick and creamy.
- Flavor the thickened milk with vanilla and pour 1/2 the mixture into the greased bowl or molds. Color the other half of the thickened milk and pour gently over the top of the white.
- Refrigerate until set and serve cold.
You couldn’t pay me to ignore these posts!