If you were to attend a 16th century court banquet in France, you might be served Blancmange -- a thick dish of rice boiled in almond milk, with pureed chicken, toped with fried pork fat, and sprinkled with sugar. By the way, sugar was a common spice in main dishes until some 100 years later.
And here's how you cook Blancmange now: no rice, chicken, pork fat - sugar is left though.
2 cups milk
4 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons sugar or honey
White of 2 eggs
Vanilla flavor
A few grains of salt
1. Put the milk into a double boiler, and when it is boiling hot, add the sugar.
2. Blend the cornstarch with a little cold milk, and pour gradually into the hot milk, stirring constantly.
3. Cover, and let cook 15 minutes over a good fire.
4. Add a sprinkle of salt to the whites, and beat them stiff.
5. Flavor with vanilla and over these pour the hot mixture gradually, and fold together.
6. Turn into individual wetted molds, or into a large mold, and let cool.
7. Turn out, and serve with cream, or with a custard sauce made from the yolks.
