Tuesday, July 21, 2009

TWD: Raspberry Blanc-Manger



This week’s Tuesdays With Dorie selection was Raspberry Blanc-Manger (Dorie even gives us the correct pronunciation, “blah-mahn-jhay,” but I keep saying it incorrectly). It is in the “spoon dessert” category of Baking, and the main ingredients are cream, raspberries, and ground almonds. I had never heard of a blanc-manger until this week, but I generally enjoy desserts that contain raspberry and/or cream, so it wasn’t a hard sell. The alluring photo that accompanies the recipe in the book didn’t hurt, either. I baked a bevy of treats for various events last weekend; unfortunately, the elegant blanc-manger didn’t seem appropriate for any of them, so I didn’t get around to making this until Monday evening. Luckily, it was a painless enough recipe to put together on a weeknight. I did have a little pre-emptive jelling, but nothing a little extra milk couldn’t fix – I think, anyway, I’m not totally positive my blanc-manger turned out quite as firm as it should have.



I tried a bite of the dessert after its photo shoot this evening and my boyfriend ate a small slice of it. The crunch from the almonds was a nice contrast to the fluffy cream and luscious berries. As I write this, Mr. Penpen is tucking into his second round of the dessert and says it's growing on him. We concurred that it deserves a 7 for Deliciousness and I gave it a 2.5 for Effort, giving it an EDR 2.8. I think I would really enjoy this dessert served alongside some crispy chocolate wafers; it didn’t seem quite substantial enough on its own, which may be because mine didn’t firm up enough. Many thanks to Susan of Sticky Chewy Creamy Gooey for two things: selecting this lovely seasonal dessert and posting THIS great tutorial about printable recipes on the Food Blog Alliance. You can find the recipe for blanc-manger HERE on Susan’s site and check out what the rest of the group thought by visiting the TWD site.

18 comments:

Hindy said...

I think your photos are equally as alluring. Love that scalloped dish! Glad the dessert was a hit.

Sweet as Coco said...

Well from the looks of it...you cannot tell you made any mistakes! It looks firm to me! glad you enjoyed it!

Anonymous said...

Hi Margot!

I wanted to stop by because I had a quick question for you about this week's SMS recipe... I know it says on the site that we're supposed to make the Strawberry-Ruby Grapefruit Preserves, but when I looked up the recipe in the book, I saw that it was accompanied by a number of variations. Are we allowed to select any of the jam flavors or do you want us to stick to your specific selection? Part of the reason I ask is because my Mom is allergic to berries, so I was thinking of maybe trying the cinnamon-peach version. But if you'd prefer we do the strawberry-grapefruit, I can certainly still find a suitable use for it... I gave the lemon blueberry cheesecake to my neighbors for that very reason, and they very much appreciated it! I'm sure homemade jam would make a lovely gift, so I don't think I'd have a problem finding a suitable recipient. But I thought I'd just check with you to see what you thought!

If you could let me know when you get a chance, that would be great! Feel free to just leave a comment on my blog. I'd love to make the jam ASAP because it seems like a bit of a project! This will be my first time making jam, so I'm excited you selected this! I do plan on attempting the canning process... do you have any advice on the best way to do that?

Thanks so much for your help, and I hope you're doing well. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

-Joy

Anonymous said...

It looks great! Mine was pretty soft, though sliceable. I liked that it wasn't super firm and gelled.

Thanks for the link on creating printable recipes!

Leslie said...

How beautiful! This is indeed a great weeknight dessert. I think yours turned out exactly the way it's supposed to!

Isabelle said...

This looks absolutely delicious!
I'm glad yours was a hit too!

Kayte said...

Your presentation is just gorgeous...the blanc-manger perfect, the berries perfect, and that plate it sits on is so much fun, I love that plate! It was easy, and delicious, wasn't it? Not an every-day-type dessert, but fun for something special. I am going to try it with strawberries this weekend for a party, and definitely serving the sauce on the side as mine looks like a blood letting...yikes!

Sarah said...

Your blanc manger looks absolutely gorgeous! I definitely agree that it needed a little something else with it - that it wasn't a complete dessert on its own.

Unknown said...

Your blanc manger looks amazing Margot! I love your photos and presentation. The blanc manger looks beautiful with just the fresh raspberries to garnish. I only tried a bite of this one too and thought it was good - but it probably wouldn't be my first choice for dessert.

spike. said...

Sounds like something crunchy would be great with this for texture. Looks beautiful

Anonymous said...

I think your blanc-manger looks just right - no firmness problem that I can see! I love the serving dish you have - it's the perfect color to plate your blanc-manger! (I still don't know how to pronounce it) The raspberry garnishes look really pretty too!

Nichicakes said...

Beautiful! I love the dish you have it on too!

Megan said...

Chocolate goes with just about anything, I think. It would certainly go with all that cream!

Di said...

Lovely job on the blanc-manger, and great presentation in the photos.

Jacque said...

Mine was fairly soft, it reminded me of raspberries and whipped cream.

Yours looks wonderful! Good job getting it done.

Michele said...

Your blanc-manger is so pretty!

Unknown said...

your blanc-manger looks fantastic! and now that you mention it, it does sound like it would be great with some crispy wafers--i hadn't thought about that. glad you liked the dessert, even though it may have been a little softer than you would have liked.

Kaitlin said...

Fantastic photos! I love the look of those gorgeous fresh raspberries. I too found this dessert a bit underwhelming - definitely not quite substantial enough on its own.