Menjarblanc (Traditional Spanish Almond Milk Pudding)
A traditional Catalan dessert made with homemade almond milk infused with cinnamon and lemon. Delicately sweet, beautifully creamy and naturally dairy free.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 120 raw blanched almonds
- 500 ml water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 lemon peel large strip
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 30 g cornflour
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon for dusting
Instructions
- Make the almond milk: Place the blanched almonds and water into a blender and blend on high until the almonds are finely broken down. Transfer to a clean bowl, add the cinnamon stick and lemon peel and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or ideally overnight.
- Strain the almond milk: Remove the cinnamon stick and lemon peel and set to the side. Strain the almond milk through a fine mesh strainer, pressing down on the almonds to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Make the slurry: In a small pot on a low to medium heat, add the sugar, cornflour and ¼ cup of the almond milk. Whisk until a smooth slurry forms. Don't worry if it looks a little runny at this stage!
- Thicken the almond milk: Add the remaining almond milk, cinnamon stick and lemon peel and bring to a gentle simmer while whisking continuously. Remove the cinnamon stick and lemon peel and continue to whisk for up to 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened and is smooth.
- Chill and serve: Remove from the heat and transfer to one medium bowl or two small serving bowls. Leave to slightly cool before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating for at least 2 hours or until set. Finish with a generous dusting of ground cinnamon before serving.
Notes
Storage: Store the Menjarblanc covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Dust with ground cinnamon just before serving.
Store bought almond milk: If you don't have time to make your own almond milk, you can use 500ml of unsweetened store bought almond milk instead. Simply infuse it with the cinnamon stick and lemon peel before continuing with the recipe.
Infusing the milk: For the best flavour, leave the almond milk to infuse overnight. This allows the cinnamon and lemon to really develop their flavours.
Consistency: The mixture can take up to 10 minutes to thicken on the stove. Keep the heat low to medium and whisk continuously to prevent lumps from forming. It will continue to firm up as it cools.
Make ahead: This is a wonderful dessert to prepare the day before serving, as it needs at least 2 hours in the fridge to set.
Nutrition
Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 18IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 1mg
