Blancmange in the Catalan Style
"To make ten servings, take a libra of well-peeled and well-crushed almonds which you have thinned with fatty pullet broth, or another type of broth, and pass through a stamine; boil in a well-cleaned cooking pot, adding two ounces of rice flour that has been thinned with almond milk and strained; and simmer for an hour, blending and stirring with a spoon all the while, adding half a libra of sugar and capon breast that has been cooked in the almond milk in the beginning and then finely chopped and well crushed. When the whole mixture is done, add a little rose water, serve in bowls, topped with sweet spices."
The Art of Cooking, composed by Maestro Martino of Como (14th/15th century)
notes
This was dished out warm into the bowl but once it becomes cool, it can hold it's shape fairly well.
This dish was made about a year before publishing here so notes are fairly scant but decided to share it anyway. One other thing I have noted after trying it felt and tasted very much like a dessert but a bit of the chicken flavour still comes though.
I can not recall why toasted almonds was added rather than the sweet spices, but there are many versions of blancmange available and often with different flavours and garnishes. What the toasted amonds do add, is the appearance of a whiter blancmange.
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