Almond pudding
Bianco mangiare
Traditional almond pudding recipe also known as ‘bianco mangiare’, which is so famous it starred on the dinner table in Lampedusas’ ‘Il Gattopardo’.
Traditional white almond pudding or ‘blancmange‘ is one of the dishes that tend to divide people. Either you like the sweet, velvety softness or you find the trembling jelly sickening. I’m generally an easy target for anything sugary, including the milk based ‘bianco mangiare’, which is so famous it starred on the dinner table in Lampedusas’ The Leopard.
Still, I prefer a almond pudding recipe with more substance than milk, starch and flavouring, and that is why I grind the almonds, and leave them in the pudding. Normally, you’d strain the almonds out to obtain a pure milky substance, but I think it reduces the taste. Therefore I have to accept that the pounded almonds float to the top of the pudding and remain there as an unexpected grainy layer. If you want to avoid that, just use a sieve, and you will have a perfect white almond pudding with an elegant orange note.
Ingredients
200 g blanched almonds
200 g sugar
600 ml milk
5 sheets of gelatine
Orange zest
Preparation
Soak the gelatine in cold water.
Blend almonds and a little milk to a fine paste.
Heat milk, sugar and almond paste in a saucepan, until all the sugar has dissolved.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. (Strain the mixture through a piece of cloth, and throw away the almond remains, if you don’t want the almond layer)
Add some finely grated orange zest.
Squeeze water from the gelatine and stir it in the almond-sugar-milk mixture.
Pour the mixture into portion sized ramekins (I use silicone cupcake pans) and leave it in the fridge to set for 3-6 hours.
Decorate with strips of orange peel before serving.
Other classic puddings
Bonet recipe – Cocoa, caramel and macaroon pudding
Sounds like it would be better with ground almonds in it – similar to the rougher types of marzipan… a bit more substance.
love, look incredible. I don’t mind spooning some! :)
Such a pretty dessert photo! My husband loves Almonds, I’ll have to give this a try.
Please do, it is a kind of old fashioned dessert, but almond lovers adore it.
I liike a firmer pudding too, so your idea about leaving the almonds in is a good one. Sounds and looks quite tasty.
Yes – I must be a war child or something – can’t bear to see anything go to waste.
I’ve never tried almond pudding, but this looks delicious! I may have to give it a try!
Please do – it is a very good and mild dessert.
I’d prefer it with the layer of almonds — I love almonds. Think I’ll try this recipe, Mette. I can taste it already. Yum!
Glad you like – I guess there are lots of almonds in the Caribbean as well.
It sounds like it would taste amazing but I worry about the soft consistency at least to my liking :)
The consistency is likely to divide people. Some can’t stand the feeling which is a mix of Jell-o and whipped cream.
This past summer in Modica, we were taught to make bianco mangiare by cooking lemon rind in the milk, in place of the almonds. We took a class with Katia Amore @lovesicily.
No almonds in Bianco Mangiare sounds alternative to me. But I’m sure it must have tasted great.