Obs.—This blanc-manger which we had made originally on the thought of the moment for a friend, proved so very rich in flavour, that we inserted the exact receipt for it, as we had had it made on our first trial; but it might be simplified by merely boiling the juice, sugar, and isinglass, together for a few minutes, and then mixing them with the cream. An ounce and a half of isinglass and three-quarters of a pint of cream might then be used for it. The juice of other fruit may be substituted for that of the quinces.
Juice of quinces, 1 pint; isinglass, 1 oz.: 5 to 10 minutes. Sugar, 10 oz.: 20 to 30 minutes. Cream, 1/2 pint.
QUINCE BLANC-MANGE, WITH ALMOND CREAM.
When cream is not procurable, which will sometimes happen in the depth of winter, almonds, if plentifully used, will afford a very good substitute, though the finer blanc-mange is made from the foregoing receipt. On four ounces of almonds, blanched and beaten to the smoothest paste, and moistened in the pounding with a few drops of water, to prevent their oiling, pour a pint of boiling quince-juice; stir them together, and turn them into a strong cloth, of which let the ends be held and twisted different ways by two persons, to express the cream from the almonds; put the juice again on the fire, with half a pound of sugar, and when it boils, throw in nearly an ounce of fine isinglass; simmer the whole for five minutes, take off the scum, stir the blanc-mange until it is nearly cold, then mould it for table. Increase the quantity both of this and of the preceding blanc-mange, when a large dish of either is required.
Quince-juice, 1 pint; Jordan almond, 4 oz.; sugar, 1/2 lb; isinglass, nearly 1 oz: 5 minutes.
APRICOT BLANC-MANGE, OR CRÊME PARISIENNE.
Dissolve gently an ounce of fine isinglass in a pint of new milk or of thin cream, and strain it through a folded muslin; put it into a clean saucepan, with three ounces of sugar, broken into small lumps, and when it boils, stir to it half a pint of rich cream; add it, at first by spoonsful only, to eight ounces of the finest apricot jam, mix them very smoothly, and stir the whole until it is nearly cold that the jam may not sink to the bottom of the mould: a tablespoonful of lemon-juice will improve the flavour.
When cream is scarce, use milk instead, with an additional quarter of an ounce of isinglass, and enrich it by pouring it boiling on the same proportion of almonds as for the second quince blanc-mange (see page [478]). Cream can in all cases be substituted entirely for the milk, when a very rich preparation is desired. Peach jam will answer admirably for this receipt; but none of any kind should be used for it which has not been passed through a sieve when made.
Isinglass, 1 oz.; new milk, 1 pint; cream, 1/2 pint; sugar, 3 oz.; apricot jam, 1/2 lb.; lemon-juice, 1 tablespoonful. Or, peach jam, 1/2 lb.; cream, 1-1/2 pint.