Blank Manng of Chicken
Submitted by DamLuli
A medieval English blancmange: tender poached chicken folded into creamy almond milk rice with butter and ground almonds, topped with golden fried almonds. A savory, centuries-old dish brought to life.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
1 hrsCOOK
READY
24 hrsThis is not the wobbly pink dessert you’re thinking of.
Blancmange (or “blank manng") in its original medieval form was a savory, elegant dish of poached chicken stirred into rice cooked in homemade almond milk.
The chicken simmers gently with onion and a bouquet garni until fall-apart tender, then gets shredded and folded into the creamy, almond-scented rice along with butter, sugar, and ground almonds.
Fried whole almonds scattered across the top add crunch, and a handful of fresh parsley brings it back to life with color and freshness.
Kitchen Tips
- The almond milk takes about 12 hours of gentle simmering. Plan ahead or start the day before.
- Use short grain rice. Its starchy nature gives the dish the creamy, porridge-like texture that defines a proper blancmange.
- Keep the rice moist after draining. This is not a fluffy pilaf. It should be soft and almost pudding-like.
- Fry the whole almonds in oil or lard over medium heat, watching carefully. They go from golden to burnt in seconds.
Variations
- Use store-bought unsweetened almond milk and simmer with a tablespoon of almond extract for a quicker weeknight version.
- Swap the chicken for poached rabbit or pheasant for a more historically authentic twist.
- Finish with a pinch of saffron stirred into the rice for the golden color found in many original medieval recipes.
Ingredients
Directions
Make the almond milk by simmering the almonds gently in the water and sugar until all the flavour is extracted (about 12 hours).
Strain. Place the chicken in a large saucepan, cover with boiling water, add the onion, bouquet garni and seasoning.
Cover, bring to the boil and simmer until the bird is tender.
(About 1½ -2 hours, according to age and size.)
When cooked, remove from the stock, discard the skin and bones, cut the flesh into bite-sized pieces and keep warm.
Cook the rice in the almond milk, adding some of the chicken stock to make up the required amount of liquid.
Drain the rice but do not dry it-it should be moist.
Return the rice to the saucepan and add the diced chicken, butter, sugar and ground almonds.
Season well. Fry the whole almonds lightly in the oil or fat until golden.
Sprinkle with a little salt.
Serve the rice on a heated dish, decorated with the fried almonds and parsley.
Comments
