HOT AUGUST NIGHTS

When our summer weather turns hot and the evenings are still warm, it seems our appetites languish. This is a wonderful time for a light salad with fresh grilled vegetables, stone fruit or a small piece of grilled salmon or grilled chicken breast. By eating lightly, there is room for a scrumptious, soothing dessert. There is nothing better than a cool panna cotta to finish off a summer meal. I fell in love with panna cotta the very first time I tried it, and always look for it on the menu when we are dining out. Panna cotta means “cooked cream” and was originally from the Northern Italian region of Piemonte. The desserts are softly set and creamy, and are perfect for a dinner party or special dessert because they can be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated until ready to serve.

There are so many creative variations to flavor the dessert – this recipe uses balsamic flavored strawberries as an accompaniment, but you can use fresh raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and even other ripe stone fruits, such as cherries, peaches or apricots – just remove the pits and peels if necessary and slice them into bite-sizes pieces.

PANNA COTTA WITH BALSAMIC STRAWBERRIES

(Makes 4 Servings)

Ingredients

• ½ Packet (1 teaspoon) unflavored Gelatin Powder
• 1 ½ Tablespoons Cold Water
• 1 ½ Cups Heavy Cream
• 1 Cup Plain Whole Milk Yogurt
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ½ Vanilla Bean, split and seeds scraped
• 1/3 Cup Sugar, plus 1 Tablespoon
• 2 Pints (4 Cups) Sliced Fresh Strawberries
• 2 ½ Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• ¼ Teaspoon Freshly Grated Black Pepper
• Freshly Grated Lemon Zest, for serving

Directions

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on 1 ½ Tablespoons of cold water. Stir, and set aside for 10 minute to allow gelatin to dissolve.

In a medium bowl, whisk together ¾ of the Heavy Cream, the yogurt, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds. Heat the remaining ¾ Cup of Heavy Cream and the 1/3 Cup of Sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, and add the softened gelatin to the hot cream mixture, and stir to combine. Pour into 4 (6 0 8 ounce) ramekins or custard cups and refrigerate uncovered until cold. When the panna cottas are thoroughly chilled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Combine the sliced strawberries, balsamic vinegar, 1 Tablespoon Sugar, and ground pepper 30 -45 minutes before serving. Set aside a room temperature.

To serve, run a small knife around each dessert in the ramekin, and dip the ramekin QUICKLY into a bowl of hot tap water. Invert each ramekin onto a pretty dessert plate, and surround the panna cotta with the strawberries. Dust tops of panna cotta lightly with freshly grated lemon zest, and serve.

— Lynn Kathleen Adams
— RSCA Board Member since 1994