Tag: panna cotta
Cardamom Saffron Panna Cotta
This is a good dessert for Diwali- the cardamom and saffron come through loud and clear!
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 3 teaspoons powdered gelatin
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 5 cardamom pods
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Eight 4 ounce ramekins
Pistachio Topping
- ¼ cup pistachios
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
In a small saucepan heat the cream, sugar and salt until steaming hot (not boiling), stirring from time to time. Add the cardamom pods and saffron. Cover and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Meanwhile pour the milk into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Add the milk and gelatin to the cream and reheat to steam, stirring well to dissolve gelatin (make sure not to boil). Strain the mixture into the ramekins and refrigerate overnight.
Grind the pistachios, salt and brown sugar in a grinder.
Top the panna cottas with ground pistachio mixture and serve.
4th Of July Dessert: Vanilla Coconut Panna Cotta with Mango Lime Sauce
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1 packet unflavored gelatin powder
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup evaporated cane sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, sliced length-wise and seeds taken out
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 (8 oz) ramekins
In a small bowl dissolve the gelatin in the cold water. Keep aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt, coconut milk, vanilla extract and seeds from vanilla bean.
In a heavy saucepan, heat the cream and sugar on medium heat until just simmering. Remove from heat and add the gelatin mixture. Add the cream mixture into the cold yogurt mixture.
Pour into the ramekins and chill thoroughly- at least 6 hours if not over night. Dip bottoms of cups into hot water and invert into a serving plate. Serve with mango lime sauce.
Mango Lime Sauce
- ½ cup mango pulp
- 2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice
- Juice of ½ lime (1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 mint leaves
Combine mango pulp and sugar in a small saucepan. Add the mint leaves and heat over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes and turn the heat off. Add the vanilla extract and lime juice. Take the mint leaves once the sauce is cool. Serve with the panna cotta.
More Milan- Day Two!
Woke up refreshed the next morning at 8 AM and got dressed to go down for breakfast. Over some eggs, rolls, cheese and coffee, we discussed the agenda of the day. We had heard of 10 Corso Como– which is the most fashionable store in Milan. We took a cab there and walked around this beautiful store filled with high fashion and amazing designs…
After drooling over very expensive clothes and shoes, we decided to find an outlet so we could really shop! We bought a few things and decide to walk towards the Brera design district. It was a very quaint, cobblestoned area with loads of boutiques and cafes. We window shopped and finally sat down for a snack and wine break. We were quite tired of walking all day, so we decided to just sit in the outdoor cafe and people watch- People in Italy in general are very well dressed, but specifically in Milan, they are extremely fashionable!
After our rest we started walking again, this time towards our hotel. We stopped at the Scala, which is the famous Milan theater right next to the Duomo. We then returned to our hotel and made a reservations at Ristorante Al Mercante, a restaurant we had read about serving typical Milanese cuisine. The area is known for rich dishes like ossobuco and risotto cooked with saffron.
We reached the place and were seated immediately. Our waitress was extremely friendly and accommodating. I was confused between ordering the ossobuco with the risotto or the spaghetti with clams. She was willing to give me a half a portion of each to make me happy but then after thinking about it, I decided to go with the specialty of the area- and it was the right decision as it was delicious! The wine was yummy and so were the zucchini flowers we started with. They had panna cotta and tiramisu, so we had both… housemate and delicious! 
As we walked home after an amazing meal, we decided to go to the Lake Como area for the day as it was just an hour away! So, stay tuned!
Tuscany- Day Two
I woke up to an amazing morning in Tuscany- it was absolutely beautiful… a blue cloudless sky and birds chirping…
The day started with a delicious breakfast, a visit to the super market and a delicious lunch. We found this hole in the wall restaurant by the high way. We walked straight into the kitchen not realizing where we were and asked them if they could make pasta and salad enough for sixteen people. They were very skeptical and decided to have a conversation amongst themselves before they gave us an answer. I watched the mom make pasta pomodoro and pasta carbonara for us. We brought the pastas and salad home and washed it down with some delicious, very cheap Tuscan wines….
Pasta Pomodoro and Pasta Carbonara
For dinner we went to a neighboring town to a small restaurant that was willing to accommodate sixteen of us. We started off with delicious brushchetta pomodoro 
.
Tuscan Bean Soup
Had some delicious Tuscan bean soup, Zucchini Pasta, Fried Chicken and three different kinds of Panna Cotta- chocolate, caramel and mixed berries. The highlight was the brushchetta, fried chicken and the caramel panna cotta!! The local wine was delicious…
We all went home very happy, relaxed and filled with delicious food and wine!