Quark Blancmange with Strawberry Compote

Quark Blancmange (1) by MeetaK 

Today a quick recipe to sweeten your weekend. We've been going to the strawberry fields quite often the past week. This year they are exceptionally sweet and juicy. After the rains left we've had nothing but sunny and warm weather and it seems that the strawberries enjoyed the extra sun they got. They are perfect and so tempting that there is no resisting.

One day this past week I missed lunch and in the afternoon when I picked Soeren up my tummy grumbled at me for not taking care of it. I decided to hit the strawberry fields with Soeren, not only to satisfy my hunger but also to pick strawberries for a few dessert ideas. After we literally devoured several of the aromatic berries and filled up our tummies we began picking. It was just Soeren and me and these are some of my favorite moments with my son.

Quark Blancmange (2) by MeetaK

We were fairly alone on the huge field and as the days stress wore off, Soeren began telling me all about his fantasy of living in Strawberry City. It was a fun fantasy at first - where everything was made out of juicy strawberries. Later we realized it would be a bit monotone as we'd miss several of the other fruits we love so much.

As our baskets were filled he asked what I was making for dessert - it was easy - something that featured strawberries of course.

Strawberries (03) by MeetaK

All three of us love creamy desserts and one of our favorite types is often made with plain milk or cream, thickened and flavored. Panna cotta, malabi, Bavarian cream and of course blancmange (Blanc Manger) are just a few to name. While I’ve made several types of panna cotta (just need to visit my recipe index to see what I mean), I never actually made blancmange at home.

I landed on Aran’s recipe and found her twist of using crème fraiche and whipped cream very intriguing. The fact that the results would be more mousse-like and light was perfect for the hot summer day. Instead of the crème fraiche however, I added plain quark to give it a slightly more tangier flavor complementing the gorgeous sweetness of the strawberry compote.

Quark Blancmange (3) by MeetaK

The strawberry compote itself is a simple yet luscious combination of the berries some icing sugar and a dash of balsamic vinegar.

All in all a perfect fresh, fruity and light dessert to enjoy after a fantastic day at the strawberry fields!  Meeta Recipe Card Blancmange

 

Printable version of recipe here.

For the Quark Blancmange
(adapted from Cannelle et Vanille)

250g plain quark
350g heavy cream
2 vanilla beans
75g fine sugar
3 gelatin leaves

For the Strawberry Compote

300g strawberries, hulled and halved
2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Method

  1. Soften the gelatin in ice water for approx. 5 minutes. In the meantime whisk heavy cream, vanilla and sugar until sot peaks form.

  2. Squeeze access water out of the gelatin and place in a saucepan. Remove approx. 2-3 tablespoons of the whipped cream and over a very low heat stir the mixture until the gelatin has dissolved.

  3. Pour the gelatin mixture into a clean bowl, then add about 1 cup of the whipped cream and whip further to temper the gelatin. Now fold in the rest of the cream. Without tempering the gelatin with part of the cream first will cause the gelatin to set quickly and create chunks in your cream mixture.

  4. Now gently fold in the quark into the cream. Divide the mixture into 6 small dessert glasses or one large bowl. Place in the refrigerator and allow to set – approx 4-6 hours. If you are using individual glasses fill only 3/4 full.

  5. Combine strawberries and about 1 tablespoon icing sugar and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and allow to cook at medium heat, stirring occasionally. After 8 to 10 minutes the compote should have thickened and be pulpy. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

  6. Serve blancmange with strawberry compote. If using individual dessert glasses pour the compote into the glasses, otherwise portion the blancmange into individual bowls or plates and spoon the compote over the top.

Sticky Note 1 Meeta Tip


If you like a bit of crunch to this dessert add some nuts like pistachios or macadamia nuts. I love a sprinkling of broken meringue cookies or some crushed amaretti biscuits.

 

 

 

 


Verdict

Quark Blancmange (4) by MeetaK

This picture says it all. It was so good that every trace of the dessert was wiped – or should I say licked clean! The blancmange had the consistency of very soft cheese, the quark rounding it up to give it a slightly zesty flavor. The whipped cream was just perfect for this dessert as it gave it a wonderfully light and fluffy texture. Together with the aromatic and sweet strawberry compote the dessert got thumbs up all around.

More strawberry desserts from WFLH:

Strawberry Panna Cotta 06 framed Strawberry Basil Ice Cream 01 framed Stwaberry Trifle 03 framed
Strawberry panna cotta with balsamic red wine syrup Crème Fraîche Strawberry Basil Ice-Cream Strawberry Trifle


All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2009 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First

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32 comments:

  1. This looks great! I love seeing the vanilla bean. I'm not sure where to find quark at in Texas, but if I ever come across it I will be sure to make this dessert!

    Your pictures are lovely also.

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  2. what a nice dessert Meeta. Ideal for summer. Ha I m imagining Strawberry city :)

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  3. Looooove it Meeta. There are those durn gelatine leaves again....got to find out what I can use instead or what it translates to in North American grocery stores. Yum...I love quark too!

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  4. Natalie - quark is easy to make at home. try out my homemade quark recipe. it's easy and tastes great!

    SD - Strawberry city would be cool for a while!


    Trish - Yes you can sub unflavored granulated gelatin for the sheets. The rule = A packet of gelatin is 1/4 ounce, 7 grams, 1 tablespoon, or the equivalent of four sheets of leaf gelatin (source: O Chef

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  5. How cool would be Strawberry City! or may be berry city to break the monotone:-).. Lovely Lovely dessert.. could live in this;0)

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  6. Lucky you!! I would love to come across such a perfect crop of strawberries! :) I am an ardent fan of jelly desserts, including blancmange. I haven't tasted quark yet (quark/buttermilk being quite uncommon here) but from the description I'm dying to try!

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  7. You really picked out some great strawberries! :D :D This looks & sounds delicious, I can't wait to try this for myself!!

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  8. Wow, the dessert looks simply irresistible. Lovely color and combination of flavors and as usual, lovely clicks!

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  9. Well, now you have done it! I got home from groceries...got some more quark, the gelatine and stopped at the local farmer's market to pick up a HUGE case of local stawberries in season here. BUT...says the hubby...where are my shaving blades!!! Oooops...grin!

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  10. What a lovely dessert Meeta! As a child I used to pick strawberries just to earn a few extra bucks at the local farmers. But I loved doing it. I am not sure if the farmer was very happy with me happily munching away on his beautiful strawberries though... :) This is a perfect dessert for this time of year!

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  11. Simple, sweet and satisfying! The perfect dessert from "Strawberry City".

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  12. I've never had blancmange but now I'm very interested to try it - and the quark too, which I'd never heard of before. Looks beautiful and delicious!

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  13. OMG!! Those clicks are mind blowing!!
    Nice recipe!

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  14. Oh yum! But I don't know if I could bring myself to cook such perfect strawberries. I would just sit and eat them until they came out my ears.

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  15. hey meeta! I visited black forest ydy and the moment i saw the different colorful berries in the market. It reminded me of the red berries in a bowl and the mixture of berries photos!

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  16. This looks great! Can I have it for breakfast?

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  17. those strawberries are gorgeous!
    I just saw on twitter you're going on vacation - have a sweet and safe trip!!

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  18. Lovely dessert, I HAVE to try it!!! It looks simple... and irresistible: we have delicious strawberries here in Brittany! Thank you sharing...

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  19. My word...I haven't thought of Blancmange in ages and ages...mind you...I think of the 80s band first, creamy dessert second...

    j

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  20. Homemade blancmange! Great!This one goes to my must-try-before-strawberries-are-gone list:)

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  21. what a great idea.. i love cooking so much.. greetings from Jakarta Indonesia ;)

    have a great day to you :)

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  22. Hi Meeta..is it really as easy as its written here????any insider tips for newbees???

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  23. That last picture does say it all Meeta...drooliciously good stuff here. Can you suggest a quark alternate? My creme fraiche that I tried making didn't taste too great. Summers' all over your beautiful post!! Lovely!

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  24. what fun w/ your son! the strawberries are perfect, so cute!

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  25. thanks everyone for your comments. so glad that you are all enjoying this delicious dessert.

    yes it really is as easy as this - making blancmange is no difficult task and so very rewarding.

    Deeba you can sub the quark for creme fraiche or even sour cream.

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  26. A delightfully refreshing and delicious summer dessert!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  27. Strawberry desserts are my favourite and have to try making quark as I don't think we have it here. It looks delicious.

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  28. Another dessert I want to try, Meeta. The pictures are just too tempting. But this time, I really have to wait till starwberries are here early next year. :)

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Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hugs
Meeta