food for family and friends

25
Feb

Panna Cotta for a New Year’s Feast

So here we were, with a multi-course menu, and my assignment was a dessert. But I didn’t get my assignment until we were already on the island, which meant that I was far from all my favorite cookbooks, and momentarily paralyzed. What could I offer that would be a light ending, but still sufficiently special and festive - AND not include any ingredients that would be hard to find in December in Ellsworth (Cynthia had volunteered to shop for me)?

So that was the question I posed to my sister when we had our post-Christmas pre-New Year’s chat, knowing that she has hosted many a dinner party with hearty game courses, presumably needing the same light touch in a dessert. And, true to form, she came up with the ideal solution - a mint flavored panna cotta, served in little ramekins, and garnished with runny honey, shaved chocolate and a fresh mint leaf. I was thinking I might use espresso cups, but Barbara has a fabulous collection of half-cup ramekins made by our favorite island potter, Marion Baker.

Here’s how, if you’re planning to serve 8-10 people:

1 packet powdered gelatin (approx 2 1/2 tsps or 3 sheets)
4 tablespoons cold water
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
20 fresh mint leaves, finely sliced
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

And for the garnish:
runny honey
Small mint leaves
Shaved dark chocolate (I like using a vegetable peeler on a bar of 70% chocolate; the peeler
creates a more shapely shaving!)

Combine the cream and milk in a heavy saucepan with the sliced mint leaves, and heat. As soon as it begins to bubble (don’t let it boil!), turn off the heat, add the vanilla extract, cover, and let sit for ten minutes to let the flavors infuse.

While you’re waiting, sprinkle the gelatin over the four tablespoons of cold water in a small cup, just to soften it.

Then pour the cream mixture through a fine sieve (to remove the mint) into a bowl (preferably one that’s easy to pour from). Add the gelatin, and stir or whisk until it’s thoroughly dissolved.
HINT: if it won’t fully dissolve, reheat the mixture, gently whisking as you do, just until it does dissolve.

Pour the mixture into the ramekins. It’s easiest to manage the rest of the preparation if you arrange them on a baking tray, or just a small tray. When they are cool enough not to be warming 
up your fridge, put the tray in the fridge to allow the panna cotta to gel. This requires at least four to five hours, but you could actually leave them at this stage for two or three days. I covered the tray with foil to make sure they did’t pick up any weird flavors from the fridge.

Before serving, drizzle a little runny honey over each ramekin, pile a little heap of chocolate shavings in the center of each, and add a small mint leaf as a final touch. WARNING: don’t do the garnishing too far in advance or the chocolate will melt into the honey and you’ll have a blob instead of an artsy pile!