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Strawberry Blanc-Mange

Pick the tops from one quart of ripe strawberries, place the fruit in a basin and crush it with a wooden spoon, sprinkling one-quarter of a pound of powdered sugar over it at the same time. Allow the strawberries to stand for a few hours. Put one-fourth pound of sugar and two ounces of isinglass in a lined saucepan with one pint of milk, and stir it over the fire until the isinglass is dissolved. Strain the milk through muslin, mix with it one and one-fourth pint of cream, and stir the whole until cold. Pour the cream and milk over the strawberries, beating them at the same time; then squeeze in the juice of a lemon gradually in order to prevent curdling. Turn the above mixture into an ornamental mould, pack it in ice, and leave it until set. Turn the blanc-mange out of the mould onto a fancy dish, and serve. Blanc-Mange, Waldorf Style Carefully blanch about six ounces of sweet and two ounces of bitter almonds; place in a vessel and cover them with cold water, letting them soak for fully an hour; drain through a sieve and pound thoroughly in a mortar, adding gradually a very little cold water, and continue pounding for ten minutes. Then remove to a vessel, adding two gills of lukewarm water, and mix for two minutes with the spatula. Spread over another vessel a large napkin, pour above preparation in and lift the four corners, and squeeze the liquor through the napkin, and place the almond milk one side for future use Place in a saucepan a little cold water, three-quarters of an ounce of gelatine, a piece of vanilla bean two inches long and split in halves, add about four ounces of powdered sugar. Mix this well with the spatula for a couple of minutes, then put on the lid, and let the contents infuse for thirty minutes; place the pan upon a hot stove, stirring gently from the bottom, and let it boil gently for four or five minutes; take it from the fire and set one side for three minutes, then pour in the almond milk, and mix again for two minutes or so, using the spatula, and strain the whole mixture through a fine sieve into another vessel. Have a three-pint fluted blanc-mange mould in readiness, and put some broken ice at the bottom of a pail, place the mould upon the ice, arranging the ice around the sides of the mould until it is sunk into the ice up to the edge; stir the preparation for one minute, and then pour into the mould, cover the pail with a napkin, and leave it to become frozen. Then carefully remove the pail, wipe off the ice with a towel, and have ready a cold dessert-dish, with a folded napkin ovet it, and turn the blanc-mange onto this, decorate with candied cherries and angelica, and serve.