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.
I think your photos are equally as alluring. Love that scalloped dish! Glad the dessert was a hit.
ReplyDeleteWell from the looks of it...you cannot tell you made any mistakes! It looks firm to me! glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteHi Margot!
ReplyDeleteI 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
It looks great! Mine was pretty soft, though sliceable. I liked that it wasn't super firm and gelled.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link on creating printable recipes!
How beautiful! This is indeed a great weeknight dessert. I think yours turned out exactly the way it's supposed to!
ReplyDeleteThis looks absolutely delicious!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad yours was a hit too!
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!
ReplyDeleteYour 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.
ReplyDeleteYour 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.
ReplyDeleteSounds like something crunchy would be great with this for texture. Looks beautiful
ReplyDeleteI 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!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love the dish you have it on too!
ReplyDeleteChocolate goes with just about anything, I think. It would certainly go with all that cream!
ReplyDeleteLovely job on the blanc-manger, and great presentation in the photos.
ReplyDeleteMine was fairly soft, it reminded me of raspberries and whipped cream.
ReplyDeleteYours looks wonderful! Good job getting it done.
Your blanc-manger is so pretty!
ReplyDeleteyour 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.
ReplyDeleteFantastic 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.
ReplyDelete