Panna Cotta {recipe}

The first time my mom and dad met Dan's parents they had us all over for a BBQ.  My mom brought panna cotta with salted caramel sauce and chocolate sables.

This is completely normal for my mom.  You ask her to bring dessert and where most people pick up cookies or a cake at the grocery store or local bakery, she makes some fabulous dessert that she claims took no time at all.

This time though she was telling the truth.  

I made it this last week and it was surprisingly easy and quick.

The first time I had panna cotta was my first visit to florence.  

Usually, it's served there with fresh berries or chocolate sauce.  And I loved the creaminess of it, but have always been nervous to make it.  So glad I tried it, but I almost wish I didn't know it had 2 cups of heavy cream in it but I learned from this great article that it's name actually means cooked cream.  I guess I should have known.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta

adapted from Miette

Ingredients:

 - 2 cups heavy cream

 - 1/3 cup sugar

 - 1 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise

 - 1 tsp gelatin powder (about 1/2 package)

 - 1 cup plus 2 tbs buttermilk

Directions:

Sprinkle gelatin powder evenly over 1/3 cup heavy cream and let sit for at least 10 minutes.

In saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining cream and sugar.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pot.  Whisk to combine.  Add vanilla bean pod and bring to a boil.

Remove vanilla bean pod from liquid {you can let this dry and put it in a airtight container of sugar for vanilla-sugar}.  Stir in the gelatin until dissolved.  Add buttermilk and continue whisking.

Remove from heat and strain the mixture into a large measuring cup.  Pour the mixture into small jars or whatever you would like to serve it.  {We used crystal champagne coupes.} Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours - the longer the better. This will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Top with:

 - fresh berries and honey - my favorite!

 - chocolate sauce

 - salted caramel sauce and a chocolate cookie

LMF 

Dessert bar

Starting the week off right with dessert!

When Dan and I started planning, we each picked something that was really important to us for us to have at the wedding.  Dan wanted to be married in the catholic church and I wanted a dessert bar. No, seriously. I think it says a lot about us. 

Now that we're not having a traditional sort of wedding day and reception, the dessert bar had to go.  But I decided to incorporate it into the bridal brunch.

I wanted to do some sort of favors for my friends as well, but since I'm currently moving, I've come to discover how much stuff we can accumulate.  I decided edible favors would be much for fun and wouldn't take up any lasting space in anyone's home.  Plus I love to bake.

bags - from shop sweet lulu

The day before the brunch, we made four types of cookies and some candy. 

Peanut butter dreams (a secret family recipe).  It's pretty much peanut butter chocolate heaven - 100 times better than a reese's peanut butter cup.

Cookies

1. Salted toffee chocolate chunk (aka crack cookies)

2. Miette's chocolate sables    3. Miette's graham crackers

4. French macarons - almond with vanilla buttercream 

Cookie recipe from here. We tripled it twice (I don't know how else to say six times.)

Vanilla buttercream from Miette's recipe book.  Can you tell I love the Miette book?

Note - it was hot outside when we were making these so the batter was a bit more runny than usual - which is how we got some pretty large ones there. After refrigerating the batter for a bit, it was much easier to use with the pastry bag.

Amanda was pretty sure we had way to many cookies (she's not a baker).  She thought we had too much champagne too, but my friends proved her wrong on both accounts!

LMF

cheesecake {plain + simple}

I made a cheesecake for the first time for dessert on Easter.  I mentioned it before; it wasn't a pretty as I wanted it to be, but it tasted wonderful.

My mother used to sell hers when she catered and they always looked beautiful! I'm going to have to practice a bit to get it to look as pretty as hers.  

I wanted something simple and classic.

I feel like after big heavy holiday meals, it's not the time to try peach lemon cake with jalepeno whipped cream or key lime peanut butter pie.

I want the classics.

I based it off of Jenny's recipe here, with a simple cookie crust and served it with fresh berries.

Cheesecake {plain + simple}

Crust:

 - 1 cup flour
 - 1/4 cup sugar
 - zest from 1 small meyer lemon
 - 1/2 cup butter
 - 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
 - 1/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400F.

Combine first three ingredients in large bowl. Using pastry cutter (or fork), (or fingers), cut in butter until crumbly.  Add egg yolks one at a time and vanilla.  Pat a thin layer on the bottom of 9-inch spring-form pan, with the sides removed. You'll probably use about 1/2 the dough.  I didn't love working with this dough at first, but it tasted light and delicious, so you just have to be patient with it.

Bake until golden, about 7 minutes.  Let cool.

Attach spring-form to bottom and pat remaining dough on sides of the pan.

Filling:

 - 3 packages cream cheese (24 oz), room temperature 

 - zest from 2 small meyer lemons

 - juice from 2 small meyer lemons

 - 1 1/2 cups sugar

 - 1/4 tsp salt

 - 1/4 greek yogurt

 - 4 egg yolks

Add cream cheese to mixer bowl.  Beat until creamy.  Mix in sugar, zest, lemon juice and greek yogurt.  Add eggs one at a time, beat after each just until blended.

Turn into crust-lined pan.  Bake 55 minutes.  Let cool before removing spring-form.  Serve straight from the fridge with fresh berries.

LMF