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Almond Cream

Recipe Introduction


Cuisine: Chinese
Preperation Time: 1 hour-30 minutes
Jell-O, Chinese style, made with agar-agar and flavored with almond. This dish rivals Jell-O for simplicity.
Agar-agar is a seaweed extract that can be found in featherweight rectangular sticks in Chinese markets. It functions like gelatin, albeit with somewhat more flavor intrest.





List of Ingredients



• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  
• 1 stick agar-agar
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 1 3/4 cups whole-milk
  
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
  
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
• 1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges (optional)
  






Instructions



1. Soak the agar-agar in the water in a pot for 30 minutes.
   
   
2. Bring the water to a boil and stir it to dissolve the mixture.
   
   
3. Add the whole-milk and sugar and allow it to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often.
   
   
4. Add the almond extract and vanilla.
   
   
5. Pour the mixture into an 8 x 8" pan and allow it to chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.
   
   
6. Cut into triangles and serve with the Mandarin oranges.
   
   






Final Comments


This appetizer will set the pace for the rest of the evening.