Chocolate Blancmange

Blancmange is a sweet dessert commonly made with milk or cream and sugar thickened with gelatin, cornstarch or irish moss and often flavored with almonds. It is usually set in a mould and served cold. Some similar desserts are Bavarian cream, panna cotta, and haupia (wiki). Although traditionally white colored, this version is a chocolate blancmange and hence brown. It is easy to make and when set in fluted moulds, look stunning. Enjoy!

Recipe (Serves 4):

Milk - 2 1/2 cups ( 1 pint)
Cornflour - 4 tbsp
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Plain semisweet chocolate - 2-4oz chopped
Vanilla extract - a few drops
Chocolate curls - white and plain, to decorate (optional)

Method:

Rinse a 3-cup fluted mould with cold water and leave it upside down to drain.

Blend the cornflour to a smooth paste with a little of the milk in a medium bowl.

Bring the remaining milk to a boil in a non-stick pan.

Pour the boiled milk onto the blended cornflour paste, stirring constatntly, until smooth.

Pour the milk back into the pan and bring it to a boil slowly over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture boils and thickens.

Remove from heat and add the sugar, chopped chocolate and vanilla extract.

Stir until the sauce is smooth, the sugar has dissolved and the chocolate pieces have melted completely.

Pour the chocolate mixture carefully into the mould.

Cover the top closely with dampened baking parchment (to prevent the formation of a skin).

Leave in a cool place for several hours to set.

To unmould, place a large serving plate on top of the mould, and then invert both the mould and the plate together.

Give both the plate and the mould a gentle but firm shake to loosen the blancmange.

Carefully lift off the mould.

To serve, sprinkle with chocolate curls over the top.

Source: Desserts 500 delicious recipes, Edited by Ann Kay.


When I made blancmange, I boiled the milk, poured it onto the cornflour paste and added the chocolate, sugar and vanilla immediately.Then I remembered that I was supposed to pour the milk-cornflour mixture back to the pan and boil it to thicken. Oooops! So even after adding the chocolate, I kept it back on the heat, brought it to a boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture was thickened. Then poured the mixture into the mould and kept in the refrigerator to set. As usual I only made half the recipe. I served the blancmange with white chocolate dissolved in milk, and grated dark chocolate.