Pistachio panna cotta with red berries gelee

Posted on July 21, 2011 by La Bonne Bouche

Whenever I crave something sweet, delicate and light, the first this that comes in mind is panna cotta.

This little cooked wonder is so light and easy to make …and so forgetful with the muffin top.

Luckily, you can make it such, that it will not show forever on your hips or belly or any other body parts where good food tends to localize. To make it even lighter, just replace the full fat cream with some light version, instead of sugar use some stevia or any other sweetner.

So, to summarize it, it is a great summer sweet. Well, its italian roots already recommends it as a great dessert.

It consists of simple, basic ingredients – cream, milk, gelatine, sugar and vanilla. Most importantly, making it doesn’t require too much technique nor work.

panna cotta with pistachio and red berries gelee

red berries gelee

300 grams red berries (strawberries, raspberries, red currants)

6 tablespoons water

5 tablespoons sugar

2 gelatine sheets

vanilla

Pre-soak the gelatine in cold water for 10 minutes. In a pot bring the red berries, water, sugar and vanilla to a boil. Remove the pot from the fire and mix in the gelatine. Set the mixture cool down and then pour it gently in the serving bowls or glasses making sure there are not too many air bubbles into the gelee. Place the bowls into the fridge to set, for about an hour.

pistachio panna cotta

500 ml whipping cream

100 ml milk

100 grams finely ground pistachio nuts

4 tablespoons sugar

8 grams gelatine (about 6 sheets of gelatine)

vanilla

Pre-soak the gelatine in cold water for 10 minutes. In a pan,bring the whipping cream, the milk, sugar and vanilla to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the pistachio and the softened gelatine and stir well, making sure that the mixture is homogenous. Let them infuse for 10-20 minutes. Before pouring the panna cotta into the serving bowl, you can strain the mixture, to insure a smoother consistency. Pour the mixture into the serving bowls on top of the set fruit gelee and place into the fridge to set for about an hour.

Serve the panna cotta with fresh fruits (red currants, passion fruit, strawberries, etc. ).

Pancakes a la Jamie Oliver

Posted on July 12, 2011 by La Bonne Bouche

What’s the best breakfast you can have on a lazy Sunday?

My vote goes for pancakes with red summer fruits and a wee bit of honey. My parents sent me some honey that they extracted from their beehives not long ago and on top of this, on Friday I bought some red summer berries , so the only things missing to pull together a great lazy sunday breakfast, were the pancakes.

While growing up, my mum was always making us some thin french-style pancakes, however lately I discovered those fluffy and thick american babies a la Jamie Oliver. On Sunday I decided to go for the latter, they seemed a bit more fulfilling and more proper for a lazy weekend.

pancakes

3 large eggs

115 g flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

140 ml milk

a pinch of salt

1 tablespoon sugar

vanilla

chocolate chips, strawberries or red currants

Start by separating the eggs. Beat the egg white until they form stiff peaks. Meanwhile mix well the egg yolks with the sugar, milk, flour, salt, vanilla and baking powder, until you obtain a smooth thick batter. Fold gently the egg whites into the batter.
Heat a non-stick pan on a medium heat. Add a drop of oil to the pan and then pour some of the batter into the pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until the pancakes look golden and firm. Sprinkle fruits or chocolate chips on the uncooked side, gently lower them into the batter with a spatula and flip the pancake over. Continue frying until both sides are golden.

Roasted beets salad

Posted on July 6, 2011 by La Bonne Bouche

UPDATE: These salads were featured on Women’s Health Magazine’s blog, in the What We’re Reading this Week section.

Few days ago I came across this blog and a recipe for omelet with beets. Of course, I started craving beets the moment I’ve seen the beautiful red colour. My favourite way of eating beets is in a simple, easy, dish for the summer, ready in few minutes and delicious – Beet salad. You can tweak it any way you want, the salad will come out great.