One cannot Think well,Love Well, Sleep well, If one has not dined well.
You must think I am such a Glutton, dont you? But I do believe there is truth in that simple statement.
Atleast it holds true for me.
And in fact let me make a minor change to it....."One cannot Think well,Love Well, Sleep well, If one has not dined well...or had a good dessert!"
I am not much of a sweet tooth.I really aren't .But Mr.P is...and when you live in big house with just three people (me , the aforementioned P, and the Lil monkey D ) one has to give up up on one's waist lines...and embrace dessert!
We generally take a vote for the next day's menu..and yup the lil monkey chimes in too! Oh..and you should hear some of her demands!! All of 2 yr and some 8 months...and already knows a good dish from a bad one.. turns up her nose at anything that doesn't fit her idea of good food and throws a tantrum if she doesn't get her doses of chicken or chocolate! Thats my darling lil daughter to u guys...another one bites the "food dust" I tell y'all !!
So this Sat, the Mr. and the Miss, ordered the Mrs. , your very own Lapetitchef ,to make something bold and new.. I promptly said yes ..thinking of the prawns I would make ...or a nice cheese souffle`..only to hear them add....Dessert!!! :O
Oh God... Talk about torture. Sheer unbridled torture. They know I hate baking... or anything for which I need measurements...But then its tough to say no to your fave peep in the whole world, isn't it??
And so after a lotttt of head scratching...(and trying to persuade them to change their minds) ,
Bribing them with offers ranging from a chicken roulade to an enchilada..basic baked potatoes to delicious pasta...all the while, thinking thinking thinking..and hoping..and praying...they change their minds!
But no... It simply wasnt meant to be.
And so I finally decided on making a plain and simple Pannacota..but heck..I'll be damned if I serve it up plain!!
With that thought in mind, and the thought of satiating those two devils for a week, I got to work...and I emerged 15 mins later, so so happy...and blissful...!
Can I say blissful..?? Please lets!!
Yes, Food has that power over me...I have succumbed to its power...to its brilliance...to the emotion it evokes in me....and I have let myself be powerless in its presence.... and feel blissful too!!
Need I say everytime I make this , the image of my darling devils with their faces all excited at the sight of the plates is enough to send me running to the kitchen, yet again,so that I can make them smile one more time.
My Blissful Dessert plate....Pannacota with works...
I served it up with some Mocha Latte Crumbles..Orange Gelato, Candied Orange and Ginger Peels, Fresh Red Currants, Mint leaves, Raspberry Jelly and Chocolate sauce...It was simply mind blowing.
You can of course do a simple panna cota with fresh berries...It would have tasted just as good..But it was a weekend and I felt rather indulgent!!
This is as good as the ones you get in good Italian risorantes`..And it is soo simple, I couldn't believe!!
It takes 15 minutes to take, barring the setting time...which would take a good 6 hrs...or overnight is good too.
Take a spoonful of this delicate, fresh and lightly sugared dessert..made extra healthy with the use of honey...
A bite into heaven is how we saw and ate this...
Recipe : 6 servings
Ingredients
For the Pannacota :
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups whipping cream
⅓ cup honey
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch salt
For the Mocha Latte Crumble :
1 pack of chocolate cookies.
1 stick of cold cubed butter
1 tsp coffee liqueur
For the Candied Orange and Ginger Peels:
1/4 orange ,1 inch ginger. , Sliced, pith removed and cut into julienne.
400ml water
5 tbsp sugar, plus more for coating
Red Currants or any other fruits/berries of choice..I only had these :(
Some Hershey's chocolate sauce for drizzling
Fresh Mint leaves.
Couple of Raspberry/strawberry Jelly.
Some gelato..I chose Orange keeping in mind the candied orange peels.. Baby had chocolate ice cream.
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Method :
Place
the milk in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over. Let stand for 3 to
5 minutes to soften the gelatin.
Pour milk mixture into a heavy
saucepan and stir over medium heat just until the gelatin dissolves but
the milk does not boil, about 5 minutes.
Add the cream, honey, sugar,
and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove from
the heat.
Over an ice bath, mix it briskly so that it cools down faster.
Once it reaches room temperature,Pour into 6 moulds.
Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours.
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For the mocha latte crumble:
Make a crumble form your favorite chocolate cookies in a food processor, add some cubed cold butter, a dash of coffee liqueur and rub with the tips of your fingers till it resembles coarse sand..Please let it have some texture.
For the Candied Orange Peels:
Peel the orange and ginger using a vegetable peeler and hold a sharp knife against the underside, slicing off as much white pith as you can.
Discard the pith and slice the lemon zest into thin strips/julienne.
Heat the water and 5 tbsp sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Add the zest strips and boil for 7 minutes.
Drain and toss in a bowl of sugar.
Remove from the sugar and allow to dry on a plate. Set aside.
Assembly :
After the stipulated, really longggg 6 hrs wait is over, get out your fave plate...and pile on!!!
Enjoy this light delicious cold dessert to make your dinner a perfect affair..like an icing,with a cherry on top.
A delighted with firsts,
S :)
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