This Sicilian dessert dates back to the Middle Ages and, through the centuries, it has undergone changes due to the different cultures which Sicily has hosted during its history. Originally a jelly made of vegetables and chicken, today it is a simple yet delightful dessert.
Milk infused with lemon zest and vanilla, thickened with cornstarch, and topped with crushed almond (or pistachio) and ground cinnamon. It is then served cold.
Biancomangiare is one of the most traditional desserts in Sicily. In the town of Modica (southern-east coast), cow’s milk is substituted with homemade almond milk.
Ingredients
Steps
– pour almost all the milk into a saucepan (keep a glass aside) together with the grated lemon zest, the sugar and the vanilla seeds;
– put the saucepan onto the stove and cook over medium heat;
– while the milk is heating up, pour the sifted starch into a bowl and dissolve it with the remaining cold milk (to be poured slowly);
– when the milk in the saucepan is about to start boiling, pour the cold starched-milk onto it and mix continuously with a whisk;
– remove the saucepan from the stove and keep on whisking till the milk has thickened sufficiently;
– put some ground almonds on the bottom of the pudding molds, then pour the biancomangiare onto the pudding molds, and let it cool first at room temperature and then in the fridge for at least a couple of hours;
– before serving, remove the biancomangiare from the pudding mold by turning it upside down on a plate and sprinkle the top with ground cinnamon
Varied doses for servings