Harper's cook book encyclopædia

Blanc-mange (plain). — Into three pints of water put 2 ozs. of isinglass or gelatine ; let it boil for half an hour, then strain it into one and a half pints of cream; sweeten it, and add a few bitter almonds. Boil it up once, let it settle, then turn it into a mould. Another way;— Season one quart of rich cream to your taste, or, say, put 5 ozs. of sugar and ten drops of extract of vanilla, lemon, or rose. Whip the cream to a stiff froth. Pour one pint of cold water on 1 oz. of gelatine ; let it simmer on embers until perfectly dissolved. When lukewarm, pour the cream slowly in, beating it all the time till stiff enough to drop from the spoon. Then put it into moulds. Blanc-mange, Almond.— One quart of cream ; soften in a small portion of this cream (cold) 1 oz. of gelatine; have ready blanched Vz lb. of sweet almonds, with eight peach kernels or bitter almonds; beat these fine in a mortar, with a little rose-water to prevent their oiling ; put the cream with the melting gelatine into a preserving-kettle over the fire, and stir un- Bird’s-nest BLANC-MANGE Lemon til perfectly dissolved, adding meanwhile lb. of white sugar; let the cream come to a boil, stir in the almonds smoothly just as you take the blanc-mange from the fire, set aside in a bowl to cool, stirring occasionally until lukewarm, when pour into moulds previously dipped in cold water. Blanc-mange, Bird’s-nest. — Take half a package of gelatine, using a little more than half the quantity of water, as in making jelly. When ready to strain, put it into a large, oval dish ; fill it nearly to the edge, then set it away to harden. Take some eggshells that you have broken just the end off in getting out the egg, make a blanc-mange of corn-starch, flavor with vanilla, and sweeten; put this into the shells before it cools and hardens at all ; set the eggs on end in a vegetable-dish so that they will stand top up, being careful not to let the blanc-mange run out. Cut some very thin yellow parings off the lemon-rind ; stew them in a little sugar and water ; when cold, lay each piece separately in a circle on the jelly, making two or three nests. Break open the eggshells, take out the; blanc-mange, and lay it in groups like eggs inside the nest. Blanc-mange, Chocolate. — Dissolve I oz. of gelatine in as small a quantity of warm water as will cover it. When melted, put on the fire to dissolve 4 ozs. of chocolate. Do not let it scorch, and when liquid add one quart of new milk and Y\ lb. of sugar. Boil all together five minutes ; stir in the gelatine ; boil five minutes longer, stirring constantly. Take off the fire, flavor with vanilla, and pour into moulds. This dessert can be made several days before it is wanted, as it will keep. Blanc-mange, Cocoa. — Take half a box of gelatine, three table-spoonfuls of cocoa, one quart and one cupful of milk, and one scant cupful of sugar. Put the gelatine to soak in one-half cupful of cold water, let it stand for ten minutes, then add to it the cocoa and