![\"Espresso](\"https:\/\/adribarrcrocetti.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/EspressoPannaCotta01.jpg\" "\\"EspressoPannaCotta01\\"")
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The French have Creme Brul\u00e9e<\/em>.\u00a0 The Italians have Panna Cotta<\/em>.\u00a0 Creme Brulee is thickened with eggs.\u00a0 Panna cotta is thickened with gelatin.\u00a0 Both are creamy.\u00a0 Both are delicious.\u00a0 Today’s post is Italy’s answer to the French.\u00a0 And I think it is a great answer.<\/p>\n …<\/p>\n Panna Cotta can be made with lots of different dairy products – milk, cream, yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, creme fraiche, pretty much anything you can think of.\u00a0 It is often flavored, always sweetened and always includes gelatin.\u00a0 My Espresso Panna Cotta is made with milk and cream, sweetened with sugar, flavored with espresso beans and set with gelatin.\u00a0 Classic.<\/p>\n ...<\/p><\/div>\n A few words about Fear of Gelatin<\/em>.\u00a0 If you were born after the ascendancy of JELL-O<\/a> you have it.\u00a0 We all have it.\u00a0 In 1950\u00a0 JELL-O<\/a> began a heavy advertising campaign, and they really took America by storm.\u00a0 Housewives everywhere were looking for shortcuts, and Jell-O was a sure bet.\u00a0 The homemade fruit gelatins my mom grew up with all but disappeared.\u00a0 At about the same time menu items such as Tomato Aspic and gel\u00e9es in general fell very much out of vogue.\u00a0 Use of gelatin decreased overall.\u00a0 For lots of us our main gelatin memory is that we drank it in hopes of growing long, strong beautiful nails.\u00a0\u00a0 But when you make this Espresso Panna Cotta, you will conquer your fear.\u00a0 Really.\u00a0 My sister always gives me grief when I say a recipe is easy.\u00a0 But this one is.<\/p>\n …<\/p>\n So, about gelatin.\u00a0 It is made from the collagen found in beef and pork.\u00a0 It is an animal product.\u00a0 Vegetarians out there, beware.\u00a0 For those following a kosher diet, kosher gelatin is available, but not all gelatins are created equal.\u00a0 While unflavored gelatin can be found sold in bulk, the product most supermarkets sell is KNOX<\/a> Unflavored Gelatine, and it is supplied in boxes containing individual packets.\u00a0 Each packet contains 1\/4 ounce of gelatin, an amount just shy of 2 1\/2 teaspoons.\u00a0 If your recipe calls for anything other than a packet of gelatin, you must measure.<\/p>\n …<\/p>\n I have made many Espresso Panna Cotta recipes that call for instant espresso.\u00a0 They are really good, and they are pretty quick, but if you are looking for a depth of round coffee flavor, go for the beans.\u00a0 And the beans you use are important.\u00a0 Use a good full flavored fruity espresso bean.\u00a0 I used Oro Blanco Tazzo D’Oro, from Guidi Marcello<\/a> in Santa Monica, California or Amazon.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n ...<\/p><\/div>\n To infuse the cream with the coffee flavor you must first coarsely crush the beans.\u00a0 I said crush, not grind.\u00a0 Use a hammer, a meat mallet, a skillet or what ever grabs your fancy.\u00a0 Put the beans in a plastic bag (that way you can see how much you have crushed them) and get to it.<\/p>\n ...<\/p><\/div>\n Next, place the cream, beans and sugar into a saucepan, stir to dissolve the sugar and heat until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan.\u00a0 This technique is called scalding<\/em>.\u00a0 Please note I did not say “Boil the cream.”\u00a0 If you go beyond the scald and arrive at the boil your next stop is the dreaded boil over and its attendant mess.\u00a0 You will wind up with cream all over your stovetop.\u00a0 Some of it will scorch and stick to your stovetop, and you will have quite a clean up job on your hands.\u00a0 Do keep a good eye on your saucepan.\u00a0 You have been warned.\u00a0 Once you have scalded the cream mixture, remove the pan from the heat, cover and let the mixture steep for\u00a0 20 minutes.<\/p>\n ...<\/p><\/div>\n After 15 minutes pour the milk into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it to soften, also called blooming.\u00a0 Do not stir.<\/p>\n ...<\/p><\/div>\n The softened gelatin will look like a relief map of a very blond landscape, all rolling hills.\u00a0 This is what you want.\u00a0 Things are progressing well.<\/p>\n ...<\/p><\/div>\n After the gelatin has softened for 5 minutes (we are at 20 minutes total now) pour it into the cream and stir to combine and dissolve the gelatin.\u00a0 (If you are concerned about the gelatin not melting,\u00a0 heat the cream mixture briefly before you add the gelatin to insure the cream is hot enough.)<\/p>\n ...<\/p><\/div>\n Prepare an ice bath.\u00a0 For this you need two bowls, one larger than the other.\u00a0 Fill the larger bowl half full with ice water.<\/p>\n ...<\/p><\/div>\n Strain the mixture into the smaller of the two bowls.<\/p>\n ...<\/p><\/div>\n Set the bowl containing the panna cotta\u00a0 into the bowl containing the ice water and stir occasionally until it is cool, about 15 minutes, taking care that no ice water gets into the panna cotta.\u00a0 This will cool the panna cotta to allow for a smooth and uniform set.<\/p>\n …<\/p>\n Don’t discard the crushed coffee beans!\u00a0 They are an excellent high nitrogen mulch for your tomatoes.\u00a0 Waste not.\u00a0 Want not.<\/p>\n ...<\/p><\/div>\n Once your panna cotta is cool, pour into serving containers and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.\u00a0 It will take several hours to set up.\u00a0 I suggest making it in the morning, or even the day before.\u00a0 This is such an ethereal dessert, and I love to see how my guests savor each bite.\u00a0 I can tell when people like dessert.\u00a0 Table conversation stops.\u00a0 That makes me smile.\u00a0 You will too.<\/p>\n
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