Orange panna cotta anyone?

The coolest thing that I am experiencing nowadays is going to parties and get-togethers and being asked by multiple people when my next post is coming up....to know that there are folks out there who are enjoying reading and experimenting at home thru this blog makes me feel euphoric....in view of which, I am sharing a great party favorite (of course it had to be a dessert!!).

If there were two words that inspired a mixture of terror and awe within me, then it would have to be “gelatin” and “panna cotta”. To even contemplate working with the former and for that matter, attempting to make the latter, seemed like an impossibility. But, then I attended a cooking class at a high-end food retailer in Bangalore and was able to learn the tricks directly from the dessert chef of one of the most amazing Mediterranean restaurant of the city.

It really is a fairly simple dessert…of course, it goes without saying that I say a silent prayer each time I refrigerate the completed mixture, I don’t try to unmold the panna cotta (though in all fairness, I have done it in the past with perfect results…..it is just that I prefer serving it in individual containers with some sort of garnish versus plate it individually for larger dinner parties), and I really have not tried to modify this recipe…much.

So, without further ado….please consider making this dessert which has a healthy dose of orange juice and yogurt….so much so, that you almost forget about the litre of cream that accompanies it J. But, remember, eating healthy is a very relative term and good things enjoyed in moderation are never harmful – or at least, that’s my excuse!

 

 

Orange Yogurt Panna Cotta - 30 servings

(Note that I have also successfully halved the recipe by simply reducing all ingredients by half)

 

Powdered Gelatin - 20 gms

Cold water - 60 ml

Heavy Cream - 1 litre

Caster Sugar - 350 gms

Store bought firm yogurt - 450 gms

Orange Juice - 450 gms

Vanilla bean - 1 pc or powdered vanilla 1/4 tsp

Orange zest - 1 tbsp.

 

 

In a large pot, bring the cream, sugar, and vanilla bean (slit up) or powder to a slow simmer. At the same time, let the gelatin bloom in the cold water for 5 minutes and then either microwave with 10 second intervals on medium level or use the double boiler method to bring to a clear liquid consistency. Let the cream mixture cool down a bit.

 

 

Add the gelatin mixture to the cream.

 

 

Next add the orange juice. I used store bought variety, but, you can use fresh juice if it is in season.

 

 

Mix up the yogurt and add to the cream and juice mixture.

 

 



Now, the tough part is done! Sieve the whole mixture so that any lumps from the gelatin and the vanilla bean pod can be removed.

 

 

Add the orange zest to the mix.

 

 



Pour into individual molds. In case you are hoping to upturn and serve, you should coat the inside of the molds well with olive oil (it has surprisingly no impact on the taste) before pouring the mixture. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours till firm.

 

 

 

Garnish with mandarin oranges, basil, mint leaves or lemon slices and serve.

 

Another option for serving could be the addition of a stewed fruit topping. I decided to try a blueberry orange one.

 

 

Blueberry Orange Topping - makes 1/2 cup

 

1/3 cup dried blueberries

3/4 cup orange juice

4-5 tsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp orange zest

 

 

Bring all the ingredients to a boil till the berries plump up and orange juice reduces by one third. Roughly blend the cooled mixture with a hand blender.

 

 

Add to the set panna cotta serving bowls or provide as a side.

 

Your somewhat guilt free bliss awaits.....

 

 

 

Can I have my cake and eat it too?

 

We have been dealing with stifling heat in Bangalore and in the midst of the rising temperatures, I decided to host a dinner party for some friends.

When it came to picking the correct recipe for deserts, I could only think of limes, coconuts, vanilla, mangoes, mint, etc. Somehow the idea of serving heavily creamed and chocolate centric desserts seemed very unappetizing.

As usual I started going thru multiple websites and came across three separate recipes which I combined to make my final dessert for the evening –

http://www.food.com/recipe/key-lime-cake-with-white-chocolate-frosting-paula-deen-304828

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/quick-vanilla-buttercream-frosting-recipe/index.html

http://www.lovefood.com/guide/recipes/11455/lorraine-pascales-mojito-genoise

I decided to go for it!!! After all, where else will I be able to combine some of the most cooling ingredients for a sweet in this heat, other that in my head J.

 

 

Making the cake was fairly easy. I simply followed the recipe but made only 2/3 of the portions. So used 2 eggs, ½ cup butter, etc. However, I kept the key lime juice and zest amount same as original and also included the 1 tsp of baking soda.  I baked the cake in a round pyrex dish and did not split it into two separate cake dishes. It did take almost 35-40 mins for the cake to bake!

For the mojito syrup recipe from Lorraine Pascales, I simply followed her syrup recipe, except I only used ½ cup of light brown sugar in all. The rest was same as stated.

Finally, the buttercream icing was made as noted above with the only changes being in halfing the recipe and using vanilla powder instead of essence (simply because I was out of it), and adding ½ a tsp of lemon zest together with 2 tsp of fresh lemon juice.

I sliced the cake in half and applied the sugar syrup on the bottom half and the upturned top half. Then I put 1/4^th of the icing in the cake’s center and used the remaining to ice the top and sides. I garnished using fresh cut lemons and mint leaves.

There are those who say that if you don’t follow a recipe as it is stated, then you really have created a recipe of your own. But, I am one of those who likes to add her own touch/ideas to any recipe to truly make it work for me.  To the extent I have acknowledged my source and stated my modifications, I think I am being fair to both the originator and my own limited creativity J.

For those who are wondering what to call this cake.....I am open to suggestions....but, my thought is "summer is sweet"....enjoy!