Why it works: Cinnamon and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,514 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Blanc Mange
Ingredients
Directions
Make the almond milk
Blanch the almonds and pound them to a paste.
Gradually add ⅓ cup cold water while pounding.
Let the mixture stand for 2 hours, then strain off the liquid.
Make the custard
In an enamelled saucepan, combine milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Boil the mixture slowly until the sugar dissolves.
Stir in the isinglass until dissolved.
Strain the mixture into a basin.
Stir in the almond milk and cream.
Set and chill
When cool, pour the mixture into a mold.
Refrigerate until firmly set, or place on ice for 1 hour.
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.
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.
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Cinnamon + almondtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,514 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Vanilla + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,287 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
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Vanilla + almondtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,961 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Isinglass
- Gelatin-like protein that sets the milk mixture into a firm, wobbly body when cooled.
- Sweet almonds
- Provide the main almond flavor and body of the almond milk base.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base that carries the sweetness and sets with the isinglass.
- Rich cream
- Adds fat for a smoother, richer texture and mouthfeel.
- Loaf sugar
- Sweetens the base and helps give the set dessert its flavor.
The step that matters
Stir in the isinglass until dissolved. Isinglass must be fully dissolved in the hot milk mixture before it cools; undissolved specks will not set evenly and leave a grainy, uneven texture in the finished blancmange.
“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.
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