TWD: raspberry blanc-manger (aka hoof dessert)

This week's recipe, raspberry blanc-manger was chosen by Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy. Check out her site for the recipe. I wish I could tell you how much I loved this but I didn't and it was all gelatin's fault. Ugh. Gelatin. So gross. Why must you smell like what you are? I don't think I've ever cooked with gelatin before. Just made jello which has fruit flavorings masking the icky smells. I was hesitant to use gelatin from the get go because all I can think of is some disgusting rendering plant (I saw one on Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe and it was the dirtiest job ever) and hooves. Lots and lots of hooves. Makes me shudder. I sent Pete out with my grocery list and asked him to try to find agar-agar, a nice seaweed alternative but alas he came home with gelatin. I didn't want him to have to make a separate trip to Whole Foods so I decided I would pony up and use it. Pun totally intended. Poor pony. I managed to forget about the origin of gelatin until I warmed it in the mircowave and was hit with a nose full of gelatin "bouquet." Good lord, it smells like hooves. YUCK! So now this dessert just grosses me out. I don't care that it has whipped cream, sugar, almond meal, and raspberries. It's got hooves in it.

I decided I would be a big girl and give it a try. I will concede that it is good and I would like it so much more if I hadn't used gelatin. I didn't let Pete in on any of my insane bias against this poor dessert and he had some and thought it was yummy. He said he could really taste the almonds (not hooves) and really liked the raspberries in it. Even though I thought it was pretty, this is not a dessert I will be making again. I should have made the raspberry sauce but I really didn't want to dirty the blender. A bit lazy this week.

It was one of those baking adventures when it seemed like everything I did created a mess. I had my photography stuff set up on the dining room table with the window open and as I was mixing and stirring my milk/gelatin/almond meal mixture in my icebath the wind blew over my cardboard display and knocked over my beer which went all over the table and Dorie's book. Somehow Dorie's book and beer don't seem like the perfect pair. Messy. Pete being the best husand ever came to my screams and mopped up my mess.

Here is a look at my kitchen after making this "simple" dessert:

A bit of a mess. Pete looked at it and said "not it." Pete and the nannies had a lazy Sunday morning. Charlie is all splayed on Pete's lap to showcase the full extent of his chub. He was also giving me eyes letting me know that he likes Pete THIS much more than me. Whatever, fatty.

And of course, pretty Willa. So tired. Her life is tough. We really work her hard around here. That mess above, yeah, she totally cleaned it.

Make sure you head on over to Tuesdays with Dorie and check out everyone else's raspberry hoof dessert, oops I mean blanc-manger. I'm sure the other bakers have wonderful stories to tell that are a bit more grown-up than mine.