Strawberry Blanc-Mange

Pound half a pound of freshly peeled almonds, a few at a time; dilute with a quart of cold milk and press the whole slowly through a napkin held by two persons, so as to extract all the liquid thoroughly; mix into this almond milk three-quarters of a pound of powdered sugar, some lemon peel or half a split vanilla bean, and a quarter of an hour later put into the liquid fifteen clarified gelatine leaves. Strain and try a little on ice to judge of its strength. Incrust a plain cylindrical mold (Fig. 150) on ice, coat it with clear jelly mixed with strawberry or orange juice and filtered through blotting paper. Stir on ice two-thirds of the blanc-mange to thicken it slightly, using a spoon, and as soon as perfect mix in a fine salpicon of candied pineapple; pour this into the coated mold and leave it stand for one hour. Thicken the remainder of the preparation on ice, and with it fill five small timbale molds (No. 2, Fig. 137), also incrusted on a thick bed of ice spread over the bottom of a deep sautoir. Three-quarters of an hour later empty out the centers of the small molds with a tin tube dipped in hot water; to remove these pieces it is only necessary to heat the bottom of the molds slightly; replace them on ice and fill the center with some of the same preparation mingled with strawberry juice (No. 3673); let this get hard. Unmold the small timbales and cut each one across in three parts. Dip the large mold quickly into hot water; invert on a cold dish and surround the base with the rings, then fill up the hollow with Chantilly cream (No. 50), flavored with almonds, having it dome-shaped. Surround this dome with a few large strawberries, each one cut in two and dressed flat to resemble a rosette. Serve at the same time a bowlful of strawberry puree sweetened with syrup, having it very cold.