Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Sour Cream Panna Cotta with Zinfandel-Blackberry Compote

I knew that with the menu planned for Good Friday dinner we would be full by the time dessert rolled around. Because of that I planned a dessert I had been wanting to make for some time - I knew that it would be light and refreshing and it was.

This recipe originally appeared in the March 2006 edition of Cooking Light magazine. It was a finalist in their recipe contest in the dessert category. It was created by Camilla Saulsbury, Nacogdoches, TX . Camilla said at the time that she 'developed this light but rich-tasting dessert for a get-together dinner for fitness instructors.' Hmmm - if a dessert works for fittness instructors that it must be great!

Sour Cream Panna Cotta with Zinfandel-Blackberry Compote

Panna cotta:
2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
1 1/4 cups evaporated fat-free milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 cups reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Compote:
3 cups frozen blackberries, thawed and divided
1/4 cup zinfandel or other fruity dry red wine
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
8 mint sprigs

To prepare panna cotta, sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl; let stand 10 minutes. Bring milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove pan from heat; remove vanilla bean with a slotted spoon. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean. Stir seeds into milk mixture; discard bean.

Add gelatin mixture to milk mixture, stirring with a whisk until gelatin dissolves. Add sour cream and cardamom; stir until well combined. Divide mixture evenly among 8 (6-ounce) custard cups. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

To prepare compote, place 1 cup blackberries, wine, and granulated sugar in a food processor, and process until smooth. Strain the blackberry mixture through a fine sieve into a medium saucepan, and discard solids. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat; add remaining 2 cups blackberries. Cool completely.

Loosen edges of custards with a knife or rubber spatula. Place a dessert plate, upside down, on top of each cup; invert onto plates. Serve with compote; top with mint sprigs.

Yield

8 servings (serving size: 1 panna cotta, about 1/4 cup compote, and 1 mint sprig)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 219(32% from fat); FAT 7.7g (sat 4.7g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 6.6g; CHOLESTEROL 34mg; CALCIUM 218mg; SODIUM 89mg; FIBER 2.9g; IRON 0.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.3g

Camilla Saulsbury, Nacogdoches, Texas , Cooking Light, MARCH 2006

Glazed Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

Last week I had a craving for something sweet (actually in the interest of full disclosure - I ALWAYS have a craving for something sweet, I just did something about it this time). I looked around at what we had in the house and we decided to make this cake. The original recipe does not call for blueberries, we had wild blueberries in the freezer and love the combination of the flavours so we added some to see how it would turn out.

This cake was very easy to make, taking little effort in the kitchen (which is always a good thing in my books). It would be great with a cup of morning coffee or mixed berries and a scoop of sorbet for dessert. If you want a more intense lemony flavour use a whole teaspoon of lemon extract.

Glazed Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

Cake:
3 tablespoons grated lemon rind (about 2 lemons)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
3 cups all-purpose flour (13 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 to 1 teaspoon lemon extract
3 large eggs
1 cup low-fat buttermilk

Lemon glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, combine rind and 3 tablespoons juice in a small bowl. Set aside.

Coat a 10-inch Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

Place butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add remaining 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, rind mixture, and extract, beating until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and 1 cup buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beating at low speed, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons juice, and 1 tablespoon buttermilk in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm cake. Garnish with grated lemon rind once glaze is set, if desired.

If you wish to add the blueberries like we did just mix 1 cup of frozen blueberries with the final amount of flour. Add the flour coated berries to the batter, mix, and follow the recipe as above for the baking.

Warm Chocolate Cake

I was originally going to make this for our Valentine's Dinner but decided not to when I was struck with laziness. Sad really because it was bloody easy to pull together! In fairness, the mousse cake I purchased was light and refreshing - a perfect ending to a full meal.

We whipped these together for dinner with mom on Sunday. This cake is often called a chocolate volcano because of its rich, solid exterior, and oozing, saucy interior. We served them with some fresh raspberries and vanilla gelato. It was a great finish to our dinner.

Individual Warm Chocolate Cakes

6 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
3 egg yolks
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

Butter 5 deep, non-stick muffin cups and set aside (we used ramekins).

Melt chocolate and butter together in a heavy pot over low heat. Cool slightly.

Beat together sugar and egg yolks with an electric mixer until thick and creamy, about 3 minutes.

Pour in the chocolate mixture and beat together for 5 minutes or until the mixture lightens in colour and thickens.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Fold into the egg yolk mixture along with the flour.

Divide the batter between the prepared cups. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until the edges are just cooked and the centre is still jiggily.

Cool for 5 minutes in the cups. Carefully remove to serving dishes.

Torta di Ricotta

Shameless self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest. We are currently 23 out of 308 photos. You can vote by clicking here.

Remember a 10 is good!

*smile*

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Ricotta is not technically a cheese, rather it is the by product of the cheese-making process. In Tuscany it is most often manufactured from the whey left over from the making of the region's famous pecorino. This tart has a light crust (pasta frolla) which is the typical pastry dough used throughout Italy. It is slightly sweet, almost like a cookie dough.

The recipe is originally from the Williams-Sonoma book Savouring Tuscany by Lori de Mori. It calls for raisins but I decided to use some wild blueberries instead.

Pastry

1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/8 tsp salt
1 whole egg, plus 1 egg yolk

Filling

1/3 cup blueberries
1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla

To make the pastry, in a large bowl mound the flour and make a well in the centre. Add the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt. In a small bowl, using a fork, beat the egg and egg yolk. Pour the egg mixture into the 'well'. Mix the ingredients with a fork until combined. Dust your hands with flour and knead the dough briefly int he bowl until it forms a ball.

Flatten the ball into a disk, wrap with plastic and refrigerate for an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 375. Lightly butter a 9 inch spring form pan, then dust with flour. Tap out the excess flour into the sink.

In a bowl beat together the ricotta, eggs, and sugar using an electric mixer. Add the flour, blueberries, lemon zest, and vanilla. Stir to mix. Set the filling aside.

On a floured surface roll out the dough into an 11-inch disk. Drape the dough over the spring form pan, pressing it into the bottom and sides.

Pour the ricotta mixture into the lined pan. Trim he edges of the dough, then crimp lightly to form a decorative rim around the filling.

Bake until the top of the cake is a soft yellow and not quite set in the centre, 30 - 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.

Release the sides of the pan and use a long metal spatula to transfer the tart to a serving plate. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 6

Easy Summer Dessert - Blueberry Peach Galette

You may have noticed that I like to cook.

Really, I do.

I confess though that I am not much of a dessert maker. Our friend Rosanne makes the most amazing pies (sadly we missed our annual pie when we didn't go away on our annual camping trip last weekend but I digress - as usual) she has a talent. Me? Well, if I have to I will whip something up. Given the choice I would far rather pop into a bakery and buy something.

Most of my favourite dessert recipes are quick, easy, and designed to fool those who eat them into thinking I spent hours in the kitchen. I have made this recipe a few times because it is easy, quick, and tastes good. Like any great dessert recipe the results look far more impressive than the amount of time it takes you to whip it together.

The recipe makes two galettes, so guests can have a piece for dessert and one to take home. If you use fresh peaches, a lot of juice will ooze out, but it won't ruin your crust.

1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury) - I use pastry made by Mennonite's that I purchase at the St Jacob's Farmers Market
6 cups fresh or frozen peeled and sliced peaches, thawed
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons apricot preserves, melted and divided
1 tablespoon turbinado or granulated sugar

Yield: 2 galettes, 16 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Preheat oven to 425°.

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Roll 1 dough portion into a 12-inch circle; place on foil. Combine peaches, blueberries, and 1/4 cup sugar. Arrange half of peach mixture in center of dough, leaving a 3-inch border. Fold edges of dough toward center, pressing gently to seal (dough will only partially cover peach mixture). Brush half of melted preserves over peach mixture and edges of dough.

Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove galette from oven); bake an additional 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Repeat procedure with remaining dough, peach mixture, and preserves. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature. Cut each galette into 8 wedges.

CALORIES 232 (29% from fat); FAT 7.6g (sat 1.9g,mono 3.3g,poly 2g); PROTEIN 2.1g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 6mg; SODIUM 124mg; FIBER 2.8g; IRON 1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40.6g

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2001

I modified the recipe a bit this time. I think I added extra blueberries. Because my blueberries were frozen I added a small amount of flour to help thicken the juices. I also added 1/2 tsp of Vietnamese cinnamon to the fruit.

A Gift Inspires Dinner

Paul and I both celebrated birthdays this month. Our good friends Dave and Rosanne gave us each two months in the wine and cheese of the month club - a truly inspired gift! Each month we receive a red wine selected by two of Canada's top wine experts and a artisinal cheese selected by a renowned artisanal cheese expert Kathy Guidi.

Last week I had a note on the front door indicating that Canada Post had attempted to drop off a package. I had forgotten about our gift and we racked our tiny brains trying to figure out what it could be! Finally I put 2 and 2 together and figured it out - I dashed to the post office!

The wine selection was a 2004 Cabernet from a new winery in Prince Edward County - one of Ontario's new wine regions. As with many new wine regions, the wines in the County tend to be rough and unpolished, so I wasn't sure what this one would be like (although I assured myself that they wouldn't include swill in this club!) The cheese was an organic blue cheese from Quebec.

I put the cheese in the refrigerator and the wine in the cellar. After reading the tasting notes which came with the wine and cheese we talked about what to have to fully enjoy them. The gift inspired dinner last night. Because one of our favourite things to have with blue cheese is fresh figs we planned a 'fig themed' dinner.

We started off with figs stuffed with Gorgonzola, wrapped with prosciutto and grilled. I drizzled them with some 10 y/o balsamic vinegar prior to serving. This recipe was one I found in an Williams Sonoma BBQ cookbook. I have made it a number of times to rave reviews.

Look at the way the Gorgonzola is oozing out of the fig. The flavour combinations are amazing: the salty prosciutto, sweet figs, tangy cheese, brought together by the sweet but tangy aged balsamic.

Next up was a salad Paul whipped together: Fig, Bleu Cheese, and Arugula Salad. It was originally from Cooking Light. We used the last of our olive oil from Paso Robles and of course the wonderful bleu cheese we received in the shipment. The salad was wonderful with the peppery arugula nicely off setting the sweet figs and pungent cheese.

The main course was pork tenderloin stuffed with figs and red onions, and wrapped with pancetta. It was served with grilled vegetables and grilled potatoes made using the technique Judy taught us in Florence last year. I did the whole thing on the BBQ. The wine notes said that the wine would pair nicely with flavourful meats and it did!

For dessert we enjoyed a fig tarte made using a recipe shared with me by my friend Palma.It was a great finish to the meal!

Palma’s Fig Tarte

Preheat oven to 350.

Crust:
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (softened and sliced)

Combine in a food processor until the mixture becomes a ball. Press into a 10-12" tart pan, pressing into fluted edges. Prick with a fork.

Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. Set aside to cool.

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla

Beat these three ingredients until smooth. Spread into cooled crust.

Slice figs and place in overlapping circles around tart.

Glaze:

6 oz frozen limeade concentrate (thawed)
1 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. lime juice

Combine four ingredients and cook over medium heat until thick and clear (2 min.). Let cool. Using a pastry brush, glaze the tart with the cooled glaze (you will not use all of the glaze).

It was easy to make and tasted even better!

We finished off with the cheese and the last of the wine. Luckily there is a wee bit of cheese left to enjoy.

Now we have a wine of the month dinner to look forward to each month!

Cheese notes:

Le Rassenbleu. Les Fromagiers de la Table Ronde, Quebec. While most blue cheese are semi-soft and creamy, Rassenbleu (made using organic milk from a single herd, aged 120 days) is firm in body with a woodsy aroma and flavour from organic raw milk. The blue notes are subtle and lingering. perfect for the person new to blue, yet a rare treat for the aficionado of blue.

Wine notes:

Grange of Prince Edward Vineyards and Estates Winery. 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a well structured wine that has good grip and well integrated tannins.  Drink now or cellar for 5-7 years.  Will pair well with game meats or beef.  Winemaker's tasting notes include soft blackberry fruit and delicate vanilla notes coming from its 12 month aging in new older French oak barrels.

An Easy Summer Dessert

In keeping with yesterday's post about strawberries I post this dessert. It is one of my favourite summer desserts because it is easy, quick, and doesn't involve a lot of bother.

It has the following ingredients: store purchase angel food cake (in the pic to the left I used individual low-fat angel food cakes); low-fat Cool Whip (you could make your own sweetened whipped cream if you wanted to be a purist). Sliced strawberries (some like them plain, some like them sweetened. I stir sliced strawberries with a bit of liqueur, chopped fresh mint, and some sugar and let it sit for an hour at room temperature).

All you do is grill a slice of angel food cake on both cut sides until it is toasted. The grilling caramelizes the sugars in the cake and really brings out the vanilla flavour nicely. Spoon some of the strawberries on top of the grilled cake, add a dollop of Cool Whip and you're good to go.

Caution - make sure your grill is clean. The remnants of last night's grilled chicken won't make a pleasing flavour addition to the dessert!

Strawberry Panna Cotta with Red Wine Syrup

Even though Paul was getting sick of strawberries (now really, who could ever get sick of strawberry shortcake?) when I mentioned this recipe to him he quickly decided that it was something he needed to taste. After our trip to Italy last year we developed a real love for Panna Cotta so we decided that this was something we HAD to try.

This was a perfect summer dessert! It was cool and refreshing with wonderful layers of flavours.

While the preparation seems complicated, it really wasn't hard to make at all!

This recipe was originally published by Canadian Living one of the foremost magazines for recipes (and other stuff I ignore) in Canada.

We garnished our panna cotta with fresh mint leaves.

Panna Cotta:

2 cups (500 mL) sliced fresh or thawed strawberries
1/3 cup (75 mL) granulated sugar
1 cup (250 mL) Balkan-style plain yogurt
4 tsp (20 mL) unflavoured gelatin
3/4 cup (175 mL) whipping cream
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla
6 strawberries

Red Wine Glaze:

3/4 cup (175 mL) dry red wine
1/4 cup (50 mL) packed brown sugar
2 tbsp (25 mL) red wine vinegar /p>

Preparation

Red Wine Glaze:

In saucepan, stir together red wine, brown sugar and vinegar; boil until reduced to 1/3 cup (75 mL), about 12 minutes. (Make-ahead: Let cool; refrigerate in airtight container for up to 5 days.)

Panna Cotta:

In blender, toss sliced strawberries with sugar; let stand for 10 minutes. Add yogurt; purée until smooth. Pour through fine sieve into bowl.

In small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the whipping cream; let stand for 5 minutes to soften.

In small saucepan, heat remaining whipping cream with vanilla over medium heat until steaming; remove from heat. Whisk in gelatin mixture until dissolved. Strain into strawberry mixture; stir to blend.

Pour into six 6-oz (175 mL) ramekins or moulds. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 2 days.)

Run knife around edge of each ramekin; turn panna cotta out onto dessert plate. Dice whole strawberries; arrange around panna cottas. Drizzle with glaze.

Source - Canadian Living Magazine: August 2006

Nutritional information

Per serving: about 258 cal, 4 g pro, 13 g total fat (8 g sat. fat), 30 g carb, 2 g fibre, 46 mg chol, 44 mg sodium. % RDI: 9% calcium, 5% iron, 12% vit A, 67% vit C, 8% folate.