Look to Italians for elegantly simple dessert

Tag : plastic sieve

True story: A friend, on his first trip to Italy, was in a cafe inVenice, one of the most expensive cities in the world. He and hisfellow students looked over the menu in vain for something theycould afford. Main courses were $30 to $50, pasta over $20,starters over $15. Finally, on the dessert menu, he saw one thingthat wasn't too expensive, an intriguing-sounding coppa di panna , for $8. He ordered it, along with a single espresso to split withhis three friends.
A few minutes later their waiter returned, flanked by a few of hissmirking fellow waiters. He was holding the dish ceremoniously andchest-high, as if it were a birthday cake. With a flourish, he setthe dish down: "Coppa di panna, signore." It was a small cup of whipped cream.
I never asked my friend how he liked the whipped cream. If it wasanything like the excellent cream I worked with in France —sweet, rich with a slight tanginess — I would imagine it waswell worth the $8. American cream has a bland fattiness that comesfrom ultra-pasteurization, and I rarely use it in my cooking. If Iwant to duplicate the flavor of European cream, as you would tasteit in a panna cotta, I add a touch of buttermilk or crèmefraiche to my heavy cream.
Panna cotta, which means "cooked cream" in Italian, is really akind of cream Jell-O: The cream is flavored with sugar, vanilla andsometimes orange zest, brandy or nutmeg, thickened with gelatin,and then chilled. If made right, as in the following recipe from myfiancee, Yasmin Lozada-Hissom, the texture is as voluptuous as thesilkiest crème brulee.
I like to serve panna cotta with roasted peaches, rhubarb orstrawberries with a little pepper and balsamic vinegar or, as inthe recipe below, with berries tossed with a little sugar and lime.
John Broening cooks at Duo Restaurant, duodenver.com .
Place water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Letstand for a few minutes until softened.
Whisk crème fraîche and vanilla in a bowl just enoughto blend.
In a saucepan over medium heat, mix heavy cream, citrus zest andsugar and bring it just to a simmer. Remove from heat.
Add the water-gelatin mixture to warmed cream, stirring to dissolvegelatin. Stir the warm cream mixture into the crèmefraîche-vanilla mixture.
For a silkier texture, strain it through a fine sieve.
Divide mixture among six 3/4-cup ramekins, cups or parfait glasses(about 1/2 cup each). Refrigerate uncovered until barely firm, thencover with plastic wrap to prevent them from developing a film andgetting tough.
Allow to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Garnish with berries tossed with sugar and a squeeze of lime juice.