Adri Barr Crocetti

The Panna Cotta Diaries continue…

It’s that time again. World Nutella Day. Time for the worldwide roundup of Nutella recipes. Nutella, in case you have only recently landed on Planet Earth, is that delectable combination of hazelnuts and cocoa developed more than seventy years ago by pastry chef Pietro Ferrero. So well loved is it that in 2007, Sara Rosso of Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle Fabio of Bleeding Espresso decided that it deserved some major recognition, a day all its own. And each year since then on February 5 bloggers the world over share their favorite Nutella recipes. Visit World Nutella Day to browse the recipe collection.

I realized I have not made Panna Cotta in a while, so this year I’ve contributed Nutella Panna Cotta, a sweet creamy dessert enriched with Mascarpone and Frangelico. And if you want even more Nutella recipes, just scroll up to the Search box and type in Nutella. Read the remainder of this entry »

Another in The Panna Cotta Diaries

Well, I am back to The Panna Cotta Diaries. I was in the mood. Comfort food. Easy comfort food. For me, that’s Panna Cotta. I decided to use Amaretto, and not just any Amaretto – Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira. If you have never tasted this brand, then you have never tasted Amaretto, the “little bitter” liqueur.

 
Luxardo uses the famous almonds from Avola in the province of Siracusa in the south of Sicily. Real almonds. Some say really the best almonds. Not all brands use almonds, much less the magnificent ones from Avola. Some use lesser quality nuts, peach pits or synthetic flavorings. I mention all this because until I tasted Luxardo, I did not care for Amaretto very much at all. If you think Amaretto is not for you, give the Luxardo a try. I bet that just as I did, you will change your mind.
 
 
The liqueur is a gorgeous clear amber. Open this sleek, slender bottle, and smell the heady scent of the finest marzipan. It is not as sweet as other brands, and the almond taste opens up as the liqueur wraps your mouth in a delicate blanket of almond. This is one luxurious liqueur, and it imparts the most extraordinary burnt sugar and almond flavor to this dessert.

Amaretto Panna Cotta

makes 6 1/2 cup servings

This Panna Cotta is just in time for elegant winter time dinner parties. I make it with a full 1/4 cup of Amaretto along with almond and vanilla extracts. Don’t skimp on the quality of liqueur. With this much Amaretto, you must use high quality spirits. Go for the good stuff, such as Luxardo. Ditto for the almond extract and vanilla extracts – use a fine brand such as Nielsen-Massey or Sonoma Syrup Co.
 
I tried several amounts of gelatin with this one. I started with 2 1/4 teaspoons, and the set was not firm enough. I upped it right to 3 teaspoons, and it was much too firm – a nerf ball comes to mind. I backed off to 2 ½ teaspoons – it was just a shade too tight, finally settling on a scant 2 ½ teaspoons. Remember though, the set on Panna Cotta is very much a personal choice. So feel free to change the amount up or down. but just remember that you will not need to change it very much. Unless you want a nerf ball, that is. For a photo essay on how to make Panna Cotta and information on how to treat gelatin, see my post on Espresso Panna Cotta.

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups whole milk, divided
1/4 cup Amaretto
1/4 cup granulated sugar
scant 2 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
chocolate curls to garnish

Pour 1/4 cup milk in shallow bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over milk and soften five minutes. Be sure all the gelatin comes in contact with the milk – otherwise it will not soften properly.

Pour cream, remaining 1 cup milk and sugar in medium saucepan. Stir to combine. Over medium flame, heat to scalding. Do not let mixture boil.

Remove from heat, add softened gelatin, stirring to combine thoroughly. Continue stirring until gelatin has dissolved. The mixture should be quite smooth.

Strain mixture into clean bowl. Add Amaretto and extracts and combine thoroughly.

Set bowl over an ice bath. Stir frequently to promote even cooling until mixture develops the consistency of high-fat heavy cream.

Pour into serving glasses. Cover with plastic and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Garnish with bittersweet chocolate curls for service.

A note: I like to cool the Panna Cotta until it thickens somewhat. That way when I move it from my counter to the refrigerator, it does not shift in the serving glass and I get a perfectly even line of Panna Cotta in the glass. Do avoid the pitfall of letting it get too thick. You will wind up with an uneven surface. I know. I know. Picky, picky.

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I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.

Move over Limoncello. Acqua di Cedro has arrived. This clear liqueur is made with citron, cedro in Italian (botanical name – Citrus medica.) Poor unattractive and underused citron, aside from its candied peel used for Christmas baking, it is pretty much ignored in my kitchen. Not so however on my dressing table where its essential oils form the base of many of my favorite perfumes. This most ancient of citrus with its gnarled and bumpy skin is said to have flourished in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and was brought to Italy by Alexander the Great – this baby’s got some history behind it. Read the remainder of this entry »

I guess I should add to this title “…another in an ongoing series.” Who knew that when I started writing I would wind up seeing the world through Panna Cotta colored glasses? Who knew it would come to this – when I think of a flavor I assign it an up or down vote on Panna Cotta worthiness value.

Espresso – check

Blood Orange – check

Buttermilk – check
Read the remainder of this entry »

When I think of buttermilk I think of Mrs. Schwinger, my piano teacher. In her living room stood two Steinway grand pianos. And on one of them, at the beginning of every lesson Mrs. Schwinger placed a glass of buttermilk. Over the course of the hour, she drained her glass, and taught me how to make the piano sing. It’s been over forty years since my last lesson, but to this day I think of her, the two pianos and her love of music every time I open a carton of buttermilk. Thank you, Mrs. Schwinger for sharing your love and knowledge of music – and buttermilk.
Read the remainder of this entry »

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles today
To-morrow will be dying.
…Robert Herrick

Grab them while you can.  Juice them and freeze their juice.  The season does not last forever, but right now blood oranges are everywhere, including my back yard, so I am using them a lot.  Tarts, panna cotta, cocktails, zabaglione and some very adult gelatin.  I remember eating lots of Jell-O  when I was a kid.  It’s the red flavors I liked best – none of that green stuff for me.  Pass the raspberry, hold the lime.  I can picture holding my mom’s wooden spoon and looking down as I stirred the garnet liquid, knowing that in a while it would transform into its own unique state of matter, somewhere between jiggly and solid, a state that, when  exposed to the heat of my mouth, would return once again to its liquid beginnings.  Magic.   But as always, times and tastes change, and Jell-O was long ago relegated to the realm of childhood memory.  Until Bart was in the hospital, that is.  (To forestall any worry – he is perfectly well now.  No troubles.)  But after many days of no food at all, the angels of mercy presented him with Jell-O.  He loved it.  He devoured it.  He wanted more.  Either the poor guy was really hungry, or that Jell-O was really good.  I will never know.  But when he returned home he wanted some from scratch.  Homemade fruit gelatin.  Not a glamorous name, but that is what it is.  I thought why not?  This could be really good.  We bought some cherry juice and gave it a try.  It was easy to make and we were rewarded with a blast of pure cherry flavor.  More experimentation was surely in order; at each visit to Trader Joe’s we’d scan the juice section for a new flavor to try.  Bart always got to choose, still does.  Along with cherry, some of our favorites are pomegranate, blueberry and cranberry, and now blood orange.  Topped with a dollop of softly whipped cream, homemade fruit gelatin is surprisingly refreshing.  Pure fruit taste.





My standard recipe is  2 cups of liquid,  sugar and 1 packet (1/4 oz.) KNOX Unflavored Gelatine.  Don’t be put off by the idea of using gelatin. Once you understand it, you’ll get the hang and you’ll wonder what the fuss was about.  Proper gelatin use consists of two steps.  First you must soften, or “bloom” the gelatin.  To do this pour a small portion of liquid into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it.  Set aside for 5 minutes.  Do not stir.  Second, pour softened gelatin into hot liquid and stir to dissolve.  See, no hassle.  No mystery. For more info on gelatin use, see my post on Espresso Panna Cotta.





Depending on the juice you use you may or may not need to add sugar – cranberry and pomegranate always need sugar, from 4 to 6 tablespoons for 2 cups of their very tart juices.  Grape juice may not need any sugar, but remember that you will eat this cold, so a bit of sugar may be necessary to lift the flavor, no matter how perfect the juice seems when you first try it.


I say go for it.  Perfect your fruit gelatin technique in time for summer.  You can wow your guests with unusual flavor combinations and multi-layered delights.


In the fifties every chic hostess used Dorothy Thorpe glassware; in a nod to my mom, the most chic of hostesses and the woman who taught me all about Jell-O, I give you Blood Orange Fruit Gelatin in Dorothy Thorpe glassware.

Blood Orange Fruit Gelatin

makes 4 servings


2 cups strained blood orange juice
3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 packet (1/4 oz. or 2 1/4 teaspoons) KNOX Unflavored Gelatine




Pour 1/4 cup juice into a small bowl.  Sprinkle KNOX Gelatine over, and set aside to soften for 5 minutes.  Do not stir.


Pour remaining juice in small saucepan and add sugar to taste.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Remove from heat.


Pour softened gelatin into hot liquid, stirring to combine well and dissolve gelatin.  If your juice has cooled, quickly bring it back to the boil, remove from heat and add gelatin mixture, just to be certain it will dissolve.


Pour mixture through a fine strainer set over medium bowl.  Place bowl over an ice water bath to cool, stirring occasionally.


Pour mixture into serving glasses and cover carefully with plastic.  Refrigerate until completely chilled and set.


To serve, garnish with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.




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