flipBlancmange of capon with almond milk
Blancmange of capon with almond milk
Why this dish? The king of dishes at seigneurial banquets, blancmange displayed through its immaculate whiteness, almonds and sugar — rare and costly goods — the rank and wealth of the hostess. For a queen of France then England like Eleanor, it was the dish that honored distinguished guests.
A fine white porridge of shredded capon breast, simmered in almond milk and rice, sweetened and sometimes dotted with saffron or grilled almonds. Delicate, on the edge of savory and sweet, it is medieval elegance par excellence.
Here is the dish with which I adorn my table when I receive those who must be honored. Everything must be white, do you hear, white as snow: the tenderest capon finely shredded, drowned in almond milk and rice, and sweetened with sugar brought from afar. It is mounded up, sprinkled with fried almonds and, if one wishes to dazzle, one side gilded with saffron. He who serves this dish says without a word the grandeur of his house.
- •Capon breast — the flesh of one bird (shredded protein)
- •Almonds — a good measure (almond milk)
- •Rice — a handful (thickening binder)
- •Sugar — as desired (luxury item) (sweetness)
- •Saffron — a few threads (optional, for the gilded half) (color and fragrance)
- •Blanched fried almonds — a handful (crunchy decoration)
Blancmange of capon with almond milk
A fine white porridge of shredded capon breast, simmered in almond milk and rice, sweetened and sometimes dotted with saffron or grilled almonds. Delicate, on the edge of savory and sweet, it is medieval elegance par excellence.
Why this dish? The king of dishes at seigneurial banquets, blancmange displayed through its immaculate whiteness, almonds and sugar — rare and costly goods — the rank and wealth of the hostess. For a queen of France then England like Eleanor, it was the dish that honored distinguished guests.
Here is the dish with which I adorn my table when I receive those who must be honored. Everything must be white, do you hear, white as snow: the tenderest capon finely shredded, drowned in almond milk and rice, and sweetened with sugar brought from afar. It is mounded up, sprinkled with fried almonds and, if one wishes to dazzle, one side gilded with saffron. He who serves this dish says without a word the grandeur of his house.
Ingredients (period version)
- Capon breast — the flesh of one bird (shredded protein)
- Almonds — a good measure (almond milk)
- Rice — a handful (thickening binder)
- Sugar — as desired (luxury item) (sweetness)
- Saffron — a few threads (optional, for the gilded half) (color and fragrance)
- Blanched fried almonds — a handful (crunchy decoration)
Ingredients
- Chicken or capon breast — 300 g (shredded protein)
- Unsweetened almond milk — 500 ml (creamy base)
- Ground almonds — 60 g (body and binder)
- Rice flour (or ground rice) — 40 g (thickener)
- Sugar — 2 tbsp (sweetness)
- Saffron — 1 pinch (optional) (golden color)
- Toasted slivered almonds — 30 g (decoration)
- Salt — 1 pinch (balance)
Method
- Poach the poultry in lightly salted water, drain and shred very finely.
- Heat the almond milk with ground almonds and rice flour; stir until thickened.
- Stir in the shredded poultry, sugar and a pinch of salt; cook gently for 10 minutes until creamy.
- Mound into a dome; scatter with toasted almonds. For the medieval effect, color one half with infused saffron.
- Serve warm.
How it was made : Blancmange (from Old French 'manger blanc') appears in almost all medieval cookbooks across Europe, from the *Viandier* to the English *Forme of Cury* — a repertoire that Eleanor's Anglo-Angevin court knew on both sides of the Channel. The skill lay in achieving perfect whiteness. It is the distant ancestor of the dessert that bears this name today, back when sugar was a spice.
The contemporary twist : Served cold in small verrines, sprinkled with toasted almonds and a veil of saffron: a 'medieval revisited' amuse-bouche.
Eleanor of Aquitaine · Charactorium
