ScarlettChocolate Blancmange with Cappuccino Sauce
April 23rd 2008 15:01
Chocolate Blancmange with Cappuccino Sauce
About Blancmange
Blancmange, is a sweet dessert commonly made with milk or cream and sugar thickened with gelatin, cornstarch or irish moss, and oftenflavoured with almonds. It usually set in a mould and served cold. Although traditionally white, blancmanges are frequently given a pink colour as well. Some similar desserts are Bavarian cream, malabi, flan and haupia. The historical blancmange or originated some time in the Middle Ages and usually consisted of chicken, milk or almond milk, rice and sugar and was considered to be an ideal food for the sick.
This chocolate blancmange is so simple: make a custard, add melted chocolate and gelatine. It has a good texture, the right amount of wobble and a lovely frothy coffee sauce to pour over. You can make the sauce up to four hours ahead and store it, covered, in the fridge.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 8
For the chocolate blancmange
200 gm / 7 oz dark chocolate with 70-75% cocoa solids, broken into squares
275 ml / 10 fl oz double cream
275 ml / 10 fl oz milk
5 large egg yolks
75 gm / 3 oz golden caster sugar
1 dessertspoon cornflour
For the cappuccino sauce
6 slightly rounded teaspoons instant espresso powder
55 ml / 2 fl oz milk
1 rounded teaspoon golden caster sugar
275 ml / 10 fl oz whipping cream
For dusting
cocoa powder as needed
For greasing
groundnut oil or other flavourless oil
1. Lightly oiled 8 mini pudding basins, each with a capacity of 150 ml / 5 fl oz.
2. For the blancmange, put the leaves of gelatine to soak in a small amount of cold water for about 5 minutes.
3. Pour the cream and milk into a medium saucepan and heat it to just below simmering point.
4. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together in a bowl.
5. When the cream mixture is hot, whisk in the chocolate, beating vigorously until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
6. Pour the mixture over the egg yolks gradually, beating as you go.
7. Return the chocolate custard to the saucepan and place it back over a gentle heat, stirring until it has thickened (don’t panic, the small amount of cornflour will keep the mixture stable and prevent it from cufdling).
8. Remove the pan from the heat, then squeeze any excess water out of the gelatine and drop the leaves into the chocolate custard, where they will melt in the heat. Give it a good whisk then leave to cool. You can speed this process up by standing the pan in a basin of cold water and stirring occasionally as it cools.
9. Divide the cooled mixture among the oiled basins, filling them to around three-quarters full.
10. Place the blancmanges on a try, cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
11. To make the cappuccino sauce, heat the milk and sugar in a small saucepan.
12. Whisk in the espresso powder once the mixture is hot.
13. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before pouring it into a mixing bowl.
14. Add in the cream and beat until slightly frothy and beginning to thicken. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.
15. Ease the blancmange away from the edge of the basin with your little finger, then invert the basin on to a plate and give it a hefty shake.
16. Using a draining spoon, lift some of the cappuccino ‘froth’ off the top of the sauce and place a spoonful on top of each blancmange, then pour the remaining thinner sauce around each plate.
17. To serve, give each blancmange a light dusting with cocoa powder.
**From “The Delia Collection Chocolate” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia” **
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