Sunday, November 23, 2014

Seasonal Panna Cotta.


Black specks
encased in silk. 
Brown freckles,
fragrant spices.
Season's greetings
in a jar.

...

Seasonal Panna Cotta

time 30 minutes prep, overnight chilling, 10 minutes finishing
yields eight 100ml ramekins
equipment ramekins

8g (1 Tbsp.) unflavored gelatin
35g water
400ml heavy cream
250ml whole milk
100g whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 vanilla bean, scraped
100g sugar

pumpkin butter and cranberries for finishing

Lightly grease the ramekins.
Either spray them with cooking spray, then use a paper towel to wipe out most of the oil, leaving only a light residue or use the oiled paper towel from the get go.
Bloom the gelatin by sprinkling it over the water in a saucepan.
Let sit for a couple minutes, then heat gently.
Once it is dissolved, add the cream, milk, yoghurt, vanilla and sugar.
After some minutes of warming, dip a spoon in the milk and check the back for distinct grains of gelatin or yoghurt, you want a smooth mixture.
Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared ramekins and put in the refrigerator to chill.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
To unmold, fill a large bowl partway with hot water.
Wipe a dessert plate with a damp paper towel (a damp plate lets you reposition the panna cotta more easily if it doesn't fall in the right spot).
Release the panna cotta edge from the cup: Run a thin knife carefully around the sides of a ramekin. Don't slide the knife all the way into the cup; just release the top edge of the pudding from the edge of the cup.
Dip the ramekin in the warm water up to its rim, and hold it there for about 3 seconds.
To unmold, invert the ramekin over the plate and shake gently to help the panna cotta fall out, or press gently on one side to help nudge it out.
It should fall out on the plate easily. (If it does not, return to the warm water bath in increments of 2 seconds.)
Serve with a dollop of pumpkin butter and sugared cranberries.


Homemade Pumpkin Butter

time 5 minutes preparation, 30 minutes cooking, couple hours cooling
yields 1 small jar

200g pumpkin puree
100g sugar
50ml high-quality apple juice or cider
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
large pinch of cloves

Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan.
Heat and bring to a boil.
After the initial boil, turn down the heat and leave it to thicken, stirring once in a while to insure the pumpkin does not burn.
Once it has thickened to your liking (for me it took around 20 minutes), transfer to a jar, cover the surface with plastic wrap and let cool.