You Gotta Try This Panna Cotta

The first time I laid my eyes on a Panna Cotta was on the popular cookery contest, Master Chef Australia. This dessert piqued my brain, just the way Lemon Curd and Cream Anglaise did. Moreover, it seemed like a dish that most contestants whipped up effortlessly. After months of daily torture on TV, I finally tasted my first Panna Cotta (one with lime syrup on top) at our anniversary dinner. One word – heavenly – the dessert, not the dinner (what with a 2-year old and all).

 It made sense to search for a panna cotta recipe after tasting it once. So, I was quite disheartened to see the generous use of heavy cream in my new favorite dessert. The fat content, along with the dearth of heavy cream out here, ensured that I wouldn't make this very often. Tail tucked right between the legs, I visited my mom one weekend. To my utter delight, mom served me Blueberry Panna Cotta for dessert. Imagine my delight. She got the recipe from a reliable source, so the recipe was failproof. 

I made the Panna Cotta twice after I got back home – once with a blueberry topping right out of a can (with a ghastly chemical after-taste) and another with a freshly-made strawberry compote of sorts that was sour enough to cut through the richness of the dessert (now, that’s just Master Chef Australia talking).
   

 Vanilla Panna Cotta

I simply loved the rich red color of the compote!

• Milk – 1 tin
• Condensed milk – 1 tin
• Corn flour – 4 level tbsp
• Gelatin – 2 heaped tbsp
• Water – ½ cup
• Fresh cream – 2 packets (Amul Tetra-pack cream will do)
• Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

 Strawberry compote:

• Fresh Strawberries – 15
• Water – ¼ cup
• Sugar – to taste
• Lemon juice – 1 tsp
• Cornflour – 1 tsp (optional)
• Butter – 1 tsp (optional)

 Method:

1. Soak gelatin in water.
2. Mix milk, condensed milk, and cornflour in a saucepan. Cook over a gentle heat until thick. Stir constantly.
3. Allow the thickened milk to cool, then add the soaked gelatin to it, and mix till the gelatin dissolves completely.
4. Combine the fresh cream and vanilla essence with the milk mixture.
5. Pour in individual serving bowls or in a pudding dish, and allow the Panna Cotta to set.
6. Serve with blueberry preserve or strawberry compote.

Blueberry Panna Cotta ready to be savored

Half empty within 
minutes of serving!

To make the strawberry compote:

1. Wash the strawberries, remove the stem, and roughly cut them into quarters.
2. Cook the chopped fruit, sugar, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan on low heat.
3. Add butter once the strawberries are soft and start disintegrating. The butter lends a gloss to the compote.
4. Add cornflour mixed with a little water to it and stir well.
5. Allow to cool. Spoon over chilled Panna Cotta.

Next time, I’m going to skip the vanilla and instead add some coffee powder - Mocha Panna Cotta!

I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~Jason Love

Innovation or Laziness?

For all the pastas and pizzas that I've made, I've never made the Lasagna.
Some nagging fear factor has kept me from trying it this long. Yesterday, I finally took the plunge. I thought I'd start small, something mini, courtesy the Internet.

Lasagna Cupcakes

Lasagna Cupcakes

Things you need:

Olive oil
Onions, garlic, tomatoes and herbs
Chicken - boiled and shredded
Loads and loads of cheese - I used cheddar, mozzarella and sliced cheese
Samosa leaves
Muffin tray

Marinara Sauce, the lazy way:

1. Sweat some chopped onions and a handful of garlic in lots of olive oil. Weight-watchers needn't be as generous with the oil. Time-watchers can speed up the sauteing process by added a pinch of salt to the onions.
2. Next up, your herbs. My regular additive is oregano. Since rosemary is my new-found love, I added it too.
3. Squish some tomatoes and toss 'em in the pan. Well, I couldn't bother with the mess, so I just substituted it with tomato paste and Maggi pizza sauce (Maggi pizza sauce tends to overpower the rosemary and all the other subtle flavors).
4. Finally, chuck in the shredded chicken. Viola! Lazy Marinara sauce is ready.

Bechamel, rich and creamy:
I made no compromise making a panful of cheesy Bechamel sauce. Sorry weight-watchers. I already cut a lot of corners, couldn't cut back on the cheese.

Assembling the Lasagna:

1. Line your muffin tins with samosa squares. The original recipe for lasagna cupcakes replaced lasagna sheets with wanton wraps. I innovated the innovation one notch further and  used samosa leaves. Big mistake - they are too thin, I should've placed a couple of sheets for each layer. The flavor's ok though.
2. Pour some of the lazy marinara sauce over the samosa squares.
3. Next spoon some bechamel, and tear up some sliced cheese over it. 
4. Repeat the layers and bake it over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until you are through with an episode of Two and a Half Men.

PS: If you don't oil your muffin tins, you will end up eating it straight off the tray. Luckily for me, I also baked a batch in my silicone muffin tray.

You don't need a silver fork to eat good food.  ~ Paul Prudhomme