Recipe #17: Chocolate Panna Cotta with Raspberry Sauce

First off, I apologize for taking a break -- between holidays, a sick baby, and having my wisdom teeth out, I've been a busy lady. Anywho, on with the show!

The first time I ever had Panna Cotta was at Pompeii Caesar inside Mohegan Sun Casino. It's a very expensive (albeit absolutely delicious) Italian restaurant inside the older part of the casino. I went there to have lunch with a reporter from Rolling Stone for an interview she was doing on myself and a bunch of other teen girls from my town (the rest of this is such another story for another day/blog/etc.). While we were there, the reporter let me order anything I wanted and after whatever my entree was, and at the tender age of 14, as long as it was being paid for by someone else, of course I wanted dessert.

I'd never had it before, but with literally the first bite, I was IN LOVE. It was creamy and delicious and like a little bite of heaven.

Cut to 11 years later, and I'm trying to come up with a nice dessert to make my husband after a long week of taking care of me after I had my wisdom teeth out. I thought of panna cotta, but there's only one problem -- he won't eat anything vanilla, custardy, pudding-like or creamy. No problem, I'll add chocolate and a touch of raspberry. Please note -- I usually include photos of my entire process, but since the first part, where I actually made the cream that I used, went so quickly, I didn't really get any photos. I did take photos while making the raspberry sauce, because that process was actually tougher. But trust me when I say that the words alone will be enough. It's a pretty simple recipe.

In the end, he loved it, and he's actually the one who suggested I blog my recipe. We thought it was delicious, and considering it made 8 servings, we'll happily be enjoying it for dessert for a couple more days.

Chocolate Panna Cotta with Raspberry Sauce

Cook time: 10 minutes
Cooling time: 15 minutes
Chill time: 4 to 24 hours

1 small packet unflavored gelatin
4 cups heavy cream or whipping cram
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon water
1 8-ounce container of sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Tools
large saucepan
mixing bowl
8 medium-sized (about 4 oz.) ramekins or containers for serving
ladle/large mixing spoon
food processor (optional)
small saucepan
handheld strainer/sifter

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler, or microwave for 30 second intervals and stir, until melted. Set aside.

Take 1 cup heavy cream and whip until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Mix gelatin with 2 tablespoons water and set aside. This will set in the container within 2 or 3 minutes. That's OK. It's supposed to.

In large saucepan, heat 1/2 cup sugar, cream, cocoa powder and vanilla over medium heat, but stir continuously to avoid boiling. Once heated through, add the set gelatin mixture. Stir until you don't feel any grainy pieces of the gelatin and remove from heat immediately. Pour in melted chocolate and stir to combine. Allow to cool thoroughly for about 15 minutes.

In mixing bowl, empty sour cream container. Once the cream-sugar mixture has completely cooled, use ladle to add spoonfuls of the mixture to the sour cream. Whisk to keep airy/light. Add the whipped cream. Once completely combined, pour into ramekins or serving containers and chill for at least for (up to 24) hours in refrigerator.

For raspberry sauce: Add raspberries to food processor and puree. If you do not have a food processor, use a fork to crush the raspberries, or a knife to chop. Add to small saucepan with remaining 1/2 cup sugar and teaspoon of water.



Cook over medium high heat until sugar has caramelized and is melted completely. Mixture should be bubbling.



Remove from heat. Set strainer/sifter on top of a bowl, and pour raspberry mix into it. Using a fork or spoon, move raspberry mixture around so as to move the remaining flesh and juice into the bowl, keeping seeds in sifter.



Please note: The yellow on the right hand side in the below picture is the reflection of the light in my kitchen. I didn't add anything to the mixture. :)



Panna cotta can be served in the ramekin/container or on a plate. To remove from ramekin, run a knife around the edge and turn ramekin over onto plate and tap the bottom. If the panna cotta doesn't come out right away, continue running the knife around the edges. This will separate it from the container.

Serve topped with raspberry sauce.



*Comments:

-Strainer/sifter: If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's a better picture of this tool.

Recipe #6: Apple Crisp

This has been my favorite recipe since I was five years old -- literally, the recipe I have is written out in my kindergarten teacher's handwriting. Mrs. Debartolo handed it out to everyone and their parents after a trip to Holmberg Orchards in Gales Ferry, Connecticut (the same orchard I visited with my family yesterday -- read about it and see pics here). My sister and I have helped our mom make this since we were little kids and have made it ourselves as adults, and everywhere I've ever brought it -- whether to a friend or relative's house or work for a breakfast treat -- it's always received rave reviews. I serve it with a bit of homemade whipped cream on top, but Cool Whip will do too. Either way, top this apple crisp with a bit of the cream when it's still hot and it will start to melt, making it that much more delicious! BONUS: While cooking, this also makes your house smell wonderful. This is a very simple recipe, and the hardest part (besides peeling the apples which isn't actually hard at all) is waiting til it's cool enough to eat to dig in. Please note -- wherever you see a (*) next to an ingredient or tool, there is a comment about it below the recipe. Enjoy!

Apple Crisp

Prep time: 30 minutes (includes time peeling apples)
Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
8 cups peeled, sliced apples*
2/3 cup sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2/3 cup melted butter*

Tools
13x9 baking dish, greased
fork
apple corer (optional)*
mixing bowl

Preheat oven to 375. Place sliced apples in greased baking dish.



Combine flour, oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt and melted butter. Mix until crumbly.



Sprinkle evenly over apples to coat well.



Bake for 45 minutes.



Serve with whipped cream.



*Comments:
-Apples: I used Macintosh apples because to me, they're the perfect mix of sweet and tart. But if those are unavailable where you live, you can use any variety that you enjoy. Granny Smith apples are also good. In case you're not sure what a Mac looks like...



-Butter: Since I hate when recipes don't specify whether you're supposed to measure butter before or after it's melted (is it 2/3 cup before it's liquid, or once it's already liquid?), I'll specify for you -- it's 2/3 cup after it's melted. For me, that translates to one full stick and three tablespoons of another before melting. Also, use salted butter. It makes it so much richer.

-Apple Corer: I have one of these handy tools that I got from Linens 'N' Things, but since I believe they're out of business, I'm pretty sure you can also find them at Walmart. I believe I spent a grand total of $5 on it, and it's completely worth it. It's a two piece tool that's pretty invaluable if you bake/cook with apples often. Otherwise, even making this recipe, I've found you lose a lot of apple "meat" just cutting around the core. It's simple to use. Shove the simple/sharper part through the core, ensure it's poking out the right spot on the bottom skin. Push through skin, and remove. Pop out core. Bam-o, done! Here's some pictures in case you don't know what I'm talking about:








Enjoy!

Recipe #4: Rigatoni ala Vodka with Shrimp

I am a pastaholic. I could eat it everyday if it was of no consequence. I am also a huge fan of homemade sauces and hate jarred because to me, it just doesn't taste right. It's not hard to make a good sauce on your own, and if you make the pink vodka sauce in the recipe below, I guarantee you that it is as good, if not better, than any restaurant vodka sauce. My favorite part about this recipe is that it only takes about 20 minutes to make, from start to finish. Also, in case you're either allergic or not a big fan of shrimp, you can always just leave it out. We're just big fans of seafood and love the texture and taste of shrimp. Also, not a lot of pics for this one, as it's such a quick and easy recipe... I hardly had time to take any! Please note -- wherever you see a (*) next to an ingredient or tool, there is a comment about it below the recipe. Enjoy!


Rigatoni ala Vodka with Shrimp

Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients
10-12 large shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined (optional)
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes*
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
3 cloves garlic*
1 1/2 pounds rigatoni (about a box and a half)
4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 ounce vodka
3/4 cup heavy cream
dried parsley for garnish

Tools
large pot
medium sauce pan
mixing spoon

Boil water in large pot with 3 teaspoons of salt. Add pasta. Cook until tender (about 15-20 minutes).

While pasta cooks... In saucepan, add olive oil and heat on medium heat for 5-7 minutes. When oil is heated, add crushed tomatoes, remaining salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, 1/4 cup cheese and garlic and let simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Stir frequently to keep sauce from sticking and to heat evenly. Add vodka, allow to cook for two more minutes. Add cream slowly, stirring as it is added. Sauce should appear orange to pink in color. Add shrimp and cook for five minutes.

When pasta is finished, drain and return to pan, but turn the burner off. Pour sauce and shrimp into the pot with pasta and mix.



Spoon onto plates and top each with remaining cheese and sprinkle of parsley. Enjoy!




*Comments:
-Garlic: I don't usually use fresh garlic when I cook, unless it's going to be almost raw in the dish. What I use instead is a huge jar of Spice World minced garlic. It saves me the time of having to chop (and have my hands smell like) garlic for any given recipe. For this recipe, if you use the jarred garlic, use one tablespoon.

*Tomatoes: The crushed tomatoes I use already have basil in them (it will say it right on the can). If you can't find any with basil already added, add one leave finely chopped OR one teaspoon into the tomato sauce while cooking.

*While cooking: Be careful adding the can of crushed tomatoes into the pan with oil. Adding them too quickly or too much at a time can cause the oil to "spit," and you can get a pretty nasty burn. You want to be sure to heat the oil only on medium heat (NOT HIGH), and stand back a bit, maybe even use a potholder, when you pour the can in. You can also try adding half the can, mixing, then adding the second half.