Q: Panna cotta ?

A: No thanks.

I bring stuff to work to share all the time and most often than not I am able to get people to eat it. Strangely, the boy with healthiest of appetite, a most oft recipient of my baking, who'd happily tuck into my crème brulée and crème caramel, declined my offer of panna cotta. Several times. Evvverrry time. (Not offended, just a tad suspicious. Perhaps a traumatic panna cotta incident. Dunno.)

I took a day off work last Thursday, in the morning I had this for breakfast (I subbed double cream with fresh cream, hmmm so it's almost guiltless really), lazed around at home for awhile. Friend cancelled lunch last minute, impromptu I caught a bus towards a beach where I lied on soft warm sand, sunnies on and a good book in my hand to occasionally distract me from the view. Was really delightful!

Panna cotta
From Silver Spoon, p.1030
Serves 6
10 gr gelatine leaves
100 ml milk
500 ml double cream
100 gr caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, slit

Fill a small bowl with water, add the gelatine and leave to soak. Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to just below simmering point, then remove from the heat. Do not allow it to boil. Drain and squeeze out the gelatine and add to the milk.

Pour the cream into another saucepan, add the sugar and vanilla pod and bring to the boil over a low heat, stirring constantly. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, remove the vanilla pod and stir in the milk mixture.

Pour into ramekins or panna cotta moulds or as per the book, it recommends a rectangular cake tin. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours until set. Turn out on a serving dish and serve.

I like to have mine with raspberry coulis... compliments the richness nicely. I normally use frozen raspberries, the food processor would turn it into an almost sorbet like concoction. Quite luvly.... see ?



Raspberry Coulis
Larousse des desserts p.102
Makes 500 ml
Juice of 1 lemon
750 gr raspberries
80 gr sugar
100 ml water
Puree everything with a food processor. (I can't be bothered to follow the instructions)

Nothing to note really.
*kisses*