Why it works: Almond and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,679 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
How to Make Blancmange
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the almond milk
Scald, skin, wash, and thoroughly bruise one ounce of sweet almonds with a rolling-pin on a table.
Put the bruised almonds into a basin with one ounce of lump sugar and three gills of cold water.
Allow the mixture to stand and steep for three hours.
Make the blancmange
Boil one ounce of shredded isinglass (gelatin) in a gill of water, stirring it on the fire while boiling, for ten minutes.
Pour the boiled gelatin into the milk of almonds.
Strain the mixture through muslin into a basin.
When the blancmange has become stiff and cold, serve it to the patient in cases of fevers or extreme delicacy.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Almond | 1 almond (1.2g) | 7 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sweet almonds
- Provide the flavour and the creamy, milky base once steeped in water.
- Isinglass
- Gelatin that sets the liquid so it becomes stiff and holds its shape when cold.
The step that matters
Boiling the isinglass. Gelatin must be fully dissolved by boiling, then stirred into the almond milk while still liquid; if it is not fully dissolved or cools too early, it will set unevenly or in lumps.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More blancmange recipes
You might also like
Almond Sponge Cake26 recipes
Almond Custard22 recipes
Almond Wafers22 recipes
Coconut Almond Cake17 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.