Peanut butter panna cotta with oat praliné

Months ago, when the doctor told me I was lactose intolerant I felt quite sad: I immediately thought of my deep love for cheese and how that would impact my food habits. However, days after that, it hit me really hard: many of the desserts I love so much are cream based, not to mention the ice creams…

I felt miserable.

Now I have learned to deal with it and it is not as bad as I thought it would be: I can replace some of the ingredients with lactose free versions, plus I always have located pills in my purse – they are not foolproof, but it is indeed better than nothing. I have yet to try making a panna cotta with lactose free heavy cream, and I might start with the one I bring you today: it is absolutely delicious and one of my favorite recipes from the times I was working on recipes for the cookbook.

Peanut butter panna cotta with oat praliné
panna cotta: own recipe, oat praliné adapted from this book

Panna cotta:
½ tablespoon powdered unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
½ cup (150g) smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons demerara sugar – I used demerata to enhance the caramel flavor; can be replaced by granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk

Oat praliné:
½ cup (45g) rolled oats
1/3 cup (67g) demerara sugar – I used demerara to enhance the caramel flavor; can be replaced by granulated sugar

Set aside four ½-cup capacity (120ml) glasses or ramekins.

In a small bowl, mix together the gelatin and water. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, sugar, salt and vanilla. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream and milk together until they start to boil. Remove from the heat and pour over the gelatin, whisking well to dissolve it. Pour this over the peanut butter mixture and whisk well until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve and divide the liquid among the four glasses. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours – the panna cotta can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days, just keep it covered with plastic wrap so it does not dry out.

Now, make the praliné: line a baking sheet with a piece of foil. Spread the sugar in a medium frying pan and cook over medium heat, without stirring. When sugar starts to melt and get golden around the edges, stir gently using a rubber spatula until all the sugar is melted. As soon as that happens, remove the pan from the heat and add the oats, stirring to cover it well with the caramel. Quickly pour the mixture on top of the foil and spread as much as possible, creating a thin layer. Set aside to cool completely. When it is time to serve the panna cotta, break the praline into smaller pieces and place on top of the the panna cotta – do not do this ahead of time for the moisture in the panna cotta can dissolve the caramel of the praliné.

Serves 4

Tangerine Prosecco gelatin and a scary movie

I am not very brave when it comes to horror films, but after watching the teaser for It I really wanted to watch the movie. My husband asked if I was sure this was a good idea, and I told him that I would be OK since I am not afraid of clowns.
A few minutes into the movie and I was scared as hell and with my eyes closed. :D To be honest I did not recall the 1990 movie being so scary. :S

As promised, I bring you today a recipe that calls for the tangerine juice left from making the financiers I posted yesterday – and the color of the gelatin reminds me of Beverly’s beautiful hair (I was impressed at how much the young Sophia Lillis looks like Amy Adams). I added Prosecco to the gelatin to make this an adult dessert, but if you don’t drink alcohol or want to make this for kids just replace the Prosecco with more tangerine juice.

Tangerine Prosecco gelatin
own recipe

1 ¼ teaspoons gelatin powder
1 ½ tablespoons water
200ml fresh tangerine juice, strained
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
100ml Prosecco
whipped cream, for serving (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the gelatin with the water. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan combine the tangerine juice and sugar and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is lukewarm. Remove from the heat and whisk in the Prosecco, followed by the gelatin. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into four ½-cup capacity glasses. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until set.
Serve with a dollop of the whipped cream.

Serves 4

Yogurt panna cotta with strawberry gelatin and killing classics (or not)

Every time I hear about movie remakes I feel a pang in my heart – why mess with the classics and ruin what is great already?

When I first read that Hollywood was working on a remake of Blade Runner I thought: “they are going to destroy such an amazing movie”. Weeks ago I saw the first trailer and it was actually a thing of beauty – it is not actually a remake, it is a sequel. We know sequels and prequels don’t always work – right, Mr. Scott? – but this time Denis Villeneuve is directing it, which makes me hopeful already – Arrival should have won Best Picture last February, even though I did love Moonlight. As of now, it seems they are not killing a classic – let’s wait until October to be sure.

And speaking of classics, I know that some people turn their noses up at panna cottas made with yogurt for they are not “the real deal”, however I love them: you still get richness from the cream, with a nice tang from the yogurt, which for me is a perfect combination – and the texture is amazing. To make the panna cotta even more interesting, I added a layer of strawberry gelatin – homemade, of course – and it is so delicious you can even skip the panna cotta, make only the gelatin and serve it on its own: truly delicious.

Yogurt panna cotta with strawberry gelatin
own creation

Panna cotta:
2 tablespoons cold water
1 ½ teaspoons powdered unflavored gelatin
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (195g plain yogurt, room temperature
¼ cup (60ml) whole milk, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Strawberry gelatin:
600g fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (160ml) cold water, divided use
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
2 teaspoons powdered unflavored gelatin

Start by making the panna cotta: set aside six 200-ml glasses.
Put the water in a small bowl and sprinkle over the gelatin. Set aside for 5 minutes for the gelatin to absorb the water – in the meantime, in a small saucepan, heat together the cream and sugar over medium heat, whisking to dissolve the sugar. When the mixture starts to boil, remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt, milk, vanilla and salt. Whisk in the gelatin until dissolved. Pass mixture through a fine sieve and divide between the glasses. Refrigerate for about 4 hours or until firm.

Now the gelatin: in a medium saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar and 1 tablespoon of the cold water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries are soft and release their juices, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender. Add ½ cup (120ml) of the cold water and the lemon juice. Blitz until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve back into the saucepan.
Place the remaining cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle over the gelatin. Set aside for 5 minutes for the gelatin to absorb the water.
Heat the strawberry juice in the saucepan over medium heat until it starts to boil - remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin until dissolved. Stir through a sieve again, let cool to room temperature, then carefully pour over the set panna cotta, dividing the strawberry mixture among the 6 cups. Refrigerate again for about 4 hours or until jelly is set.

The dessert can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days, covered with plastic wrap.

Serves 6

Eggnog marshmallows

This year’s Christmas series was not as complete as I would have liked it to be, but it was a lot of fun making it just as the previous years: my house smelling of spices, delicious baked goods cooling down over the counter… It is, indeed, my favorite time of the year, and it would not have felt complete without cookies and gingerbread cake.

I hadn’t made marshmallows in a long time, so when I saw this eggnog version I knew they would be a great addition to my sweet celebration – they turned out great, with a wonderful texture. The recipe is great and you can customize it with other flavors, or maybe making them plain vanilla for the little ones to enjoy as well.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas! Thank you for keeping me company all this year, especially during those moments I wasn’t around here much – I deeply appreciate it. xx

Eggnog marshmallows
slightly adapted from this beautiful blog

10 leaves unflavored gelatin, each cut in 4 pieces
1 cup cold water, divided use
336g (12oz) granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
pinch of table salt
½ cup (60g) confectioners' sugar
½ cup (60g) cornstarch
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ tablespoon rum
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
vegetable oil, for brushing the pan

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with ½ cup (120ml) of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.
In a small saucepan combine the remaining ½ cup (120ml) water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 115°C (240°F), approximately 7-8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat – while the mixture cookies, prep the pan: in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and corn starch. Brush a 20x30cm (8x12in) baking pan with vegetable oil and sprinkle with some of the corn starch mixture, tapping out the excess and saving the remaining mixture for the finishing steps of the recipe.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, add in nutmeg and increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, 12-15 minutes. Beat in the rum and vanilla.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan spreading evenly. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using sharp knife brushed with vegetable oil. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining corn starch mixture. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Makes 48

Lemon panna cotta with roasted strawberries - great for entertaining

I love having people over for dinner – feeding people fills me with joy, I could easily say it’s therapeutic. However, I usually get too anxious because I want to cook a fantastic meal, and I usually want to cook several different things, which is not a wise decision when entertaining unless you want to slave in the kitchen the whole time while your husband does the honors in the living room. :S

Since friends and family love my homemade pizza the main course has been a no-brainer lately, but when it comes to dessert I often have trouble making up my mind. I love warm desserts (like this absolutely divine citrus pudding or Bill Granger’s banana pudding), but with the pizzas in the oven I’ve been taking the made-ahead route, with things like mousses and pavlovas.

Panna cottas are another great idea and this one is no exception: you can make both the panna cotta and the roasted strawberries in advance and keep them in the fridge. This dessert has a light texture and is very refreshing – always a good thing after a lot of pizza and a lot of wine. :D

Lemon panna cotta with roasted strawberries
from Good Food magazine and Donna Hay magazine

Panna cotta:
2 ½ leaves of gelatin
600ml heavy/whipping cream
150ml whole milk
200g granulated sugar
finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
finely grated zest of 1 lime

roasted strawberries, made with 200g strawberries + ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

Panna cotta: Soak the gelatin leaves in a bowl of cold water and set aside.
Put the cream, milk and sugar into a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil. When the cream is boiling, add the lemon juice and the lemon and lime zest and whisk well. Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat.
Scoop the softened gelatin out of the water and squeeze off any excess water. Stir into the hot cream, let cool to room temperature, then strain the cream into a jug. Carefully pour the mix into eight 120ml ramekins and refrigerate for at least 5 hours until completely set – overnight is ideal.

Before serving, top each panna cotta with the roasted strawberries.

Serves 8

Amaretto panna cotta with caramelized pears

A couple of pears that looked good but tasted really sour were the inspiration for this dessert: I thought of the delicious apples used in this cake, cooked in butter and honey, and gave the pears the same treatment, adding a pinch of cinnamon. They turned out really good and could have been part of a cake, too, but I already had something chocolaty in the oven. My idea then was to pair the fruit with something silky and refreshing, so a panna cotta with a touch of Amaretto (an addiction of mine) sounded perfect – and indeed, it was.

Amaretto panna cotta with caramelized pears
adapted from the always wonderful Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful, also inspired by the beautiful Love Bake Nourish

Panna cotta:
1 ½ tablespoons water
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
75g granulated sugar
¼ cup (60ml) Amaretto
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Caramelized pears:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons honey
2 small pears, peeled, cored, cut into 1cm pieces
pinch of ground cinnamon

Start with the panna cotta: place the water in a small bowl or cup and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Set aside for 5 minutes or until gelatin absorbs the water. Combine the cream, sugar, Amaretto, vanilla extract and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar has just dissolved. Add the gelatin mixture and cook, stirring, for further 1-2 minutes or until gelatin is dissolved. Strain into a jug and cool for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Divide mixture into six ½ cup (120ml) capacity glasses or ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Pears: melt the butter and honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil and bubble until it caramelizes a little. Add the pears and cinnamon and cook over medium-high heat until the fruit pieces are golden and the syrup is sticky, about 5 minutes. Cool completely.

Serve the panna cotta with the pears on top.

Serves 6

Gingerbread marshmallows

I’ve been baking lots of cookies lately – these books have been at my kitchen counter all the time – but I wanted something else for the people at work, something that to them would sound unusual. Marshmallows were the perfect choice: upon delivering some of the small plastic bags filled with the candy some of my coworkers were really intrigued by the idea of homemade marshmallows, and “did you actually make these???” was the sentence I heard the most throughout that day. :)
Besides that, there were other reasons behind the choice: I hadn’t made marshmallows in a very long time, they have a Christmassy feel, the recipe yields a lot – that way many, many goodie bags would be made with it – and I also wanted to please my sister, who is absolutely crazy about them. I waited for her feedback, thinking that she might find them too spicy, or too gingery, but she said they were fantastic – she’s a grown up now and bold flavors don’t scare her anymore (but she still won’t eat bacon, which is something I’ll never understand). :D

Gingerbread marshmallows
adapted from the always gorgeous and delicious Donna Hay Magazine

4 tablespoons powdered gelatin
1 cup (240ml) warm water
3 ¼ cups (650g) granulated sugar
¾ cup corn syrup or golden syrup
½ cup + 1 tablespoon molasses
2/3 cup (160ml) water, extra
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
3 teaspoons ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
vegetable oil and icing sugar, for the pan

For rolling the marshmallows:
1 ½ cups (210g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons corn starch, sifted

Lightly oil a 20x30cm (8x12in) cake pan and dust it generously with icing sugar*.
Place the gelatin and warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer, stir well to combine and set aside. Place the sugar, glucose, molasses and extra water in a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat without stirring. Bring to the boil and cook for 5-6 minutes or until soft ball stage: 115°C/240°F on a sugar thermometer.
With the mixer running at high speed, gradually add the hot syrup to the gelatin mixture – carefully because the mixture may splash. Add the vanilla and the spices and beat for 10 minutes or until thick and fluffy. Pour into prepared pan and leave at room temperature overnight.

Place the icing sugar and corn starch in a bowl and stir to combine. Sprinkle some of the mixture onto a surface and unmold the marshmallow onto it (loosen it from the sides of the pan with a sharp knife). Using a lightly oiled knife, cut into squares and roll into the icing sugar mixture. Store in an airtight container.

* the recipe yielded so much that I was able to fill two 20x30cm (8x12in) pans with it, and in the end I got 110 marshmallows

Makes about 50 marshmallows

Mulled wine jelly and a giveaway

Christmas is coming and I have a gift for you, my dear readers: Zinio has given me 5 free magazine subscriptions to share with you! If you’re not familiar with Zinio, take a look at their website and you’ll see that there are hundreds of wonderful digital magazines for you to choose, including my favorites Donna Hay and Delicious Australia.

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post between today, December 17th and December 31st – only one entry per person, no anonymous comment will be eligible. I’ll announce the winners on January, 3rd. Good luck!

And while you take part in this great giveaway, I’ll leave you with some delicious and boozy jelly, a nice dessert idea for Christmas since it can be made in advance, and the recipe comes from DH mag, one of the great digital magazines you’ll find at Zinio.

Mulled wine jelly
from the always beautiful Donna Hay Magazine

1 ½ tablespoons gelatin powder
2 cups (480ml) cranberry juice
4 cups (960ml) red wine, such as Pinot Noir – I used Shiraz*
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
2 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 whole nutmeg
rind of 1 orange, remove with a vegetable peeler
1 cup heavy cream, whipped with 2 teaspoons icing sugar until soft peaks form

In a small bowl, combine the gelatin with ¼ cup of the cranberry juice. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan combine the red wine, remaining cranberry juice, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange rind and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir through the gelatin. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a 3-liter capacity serving dish (or individual cups as I did). Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until set.
Serve with a dollop of the whipped cream.

* the jelly tasted great but to my taste it was a bit too strong on the alcoholic side – I would definitely use less wine and more cranberry juice next time

Serves 8-10

White chocolate cheesecake with passion fruit sauce

The sour² cake I published the other day was just the beginning of a passion fruit frenzy: not only because I love the fruit but also because I got hypnotized by its amazing smell and brought home too many at once. :D

I’m always inclined to mix white chocolate with citrus flavors because the acidity seems to cut through the sweetness like no other flavors do – that is why I could not resist Valli Little’s gorgeous cheesecake, but me being me, I slightly adapted the recipe to make mini versions of it. :D

White chocolate cheesecake with passion fruit sauce
slightly adapted from the always amazing Delicious - Australia

100g shortbread biscuits
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
75g white chocolate
2 gelatin leaves
2 tablespoons whole milk
250g cream cheese, softened
½ can (198g) sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup (160ml) heavy cream
1/3 cup passion fruit pulp
1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60ml) water

Lightly butter four 1-cup capacity mini cake pans with removable bottoms.
For the base, place the cookies in a food processor and blitz until ground. Add the butter, pulse to combine, then press into the base of the cake pans. Chill for 30 minutes.
Filling: place chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water), stirring until melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature.
Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until just below boiling point then remove from the heat. Squeeze excess water from the gelatin leaves and add leaves to the hot milk, stirring until dissolved. Set aside.
Whiz cream cheese, condensed milk and milk mixture in a food processor until smooth. Add chocolate and pulse to combine. Whisk cream to soft peaks, then fold into chocolate mixture. Pour over cookie base. Chill for 6 hours or overnight.
Syrup: pulse the passion fruit pulp in a food processor a few times to separate the pulp from the seeds. Strain, reserving seeds and juice. Set aside.
Place sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Increase heat to medium-low and cook, swirling the pan occasionally and brushing down the sides with a damp pastry brush, for3-4 minutes until a golden caramel. Add passion fruit juice and 2 tablespoons cold water (be careful as it may spit), reduce heat to low and stir until smooth and syrupy. Cool slightly, then stir in some of the reserved seeds (to taste). Chill until ready to serve.
Serve the cheesecake drizzled with passion fruit sauce.

Makes 4

Rose water panna cotta with baked blueberry jam

Anyone who listens to my Ipod or my CDs will notice that most of the music I love is old – I’m not interested in the music enjoyed by most people nowadays (with a few exceptions). My favorite songs have been favorites for the last 20 years or so. Does that make me an old fart? You can be honest and tell me. ;)

To balance the situation, I’ve brought you today four “things” relatively new to me – things I tried for the first time in the past 4-5 years: panna cotta, buttermilk, rose water and blueberries (what a delicious combo they make, my goodness). :D

Rose water panna cotta with baked blueberry jam
from Donna Hay magazine

Panna cotta:
1/3 cup (80ml) water
1 tablespoon gelatin powder
2 cups (480ml) buttermilk*
2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (156g) icing sugar
1 tablespoon rose water

Blueberry jam**:
125g fresh blueberries
¼ cup (50g) superfine sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Start with the panna cotta: place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Set aside for 5 minutes or until gelatin absorbs the water. Combine the buttermilk, cream, icing sugar and rose water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar has just dissolved. Add the gelatin mixture and cook, stirring, for further 1-2 minutes or until gelatin is dissolved. Strain into a jug and allow cooling. Divide mixture into six 2/3 cup (160ml) capacity glasses or ramekins and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until set.
Make the jam: preheat the oven to 180°/350°F. Place the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small ovenproof dish and mix to combine. Bake for 15 minutes or until berries release their juices and mixture is bubbling. Cool completely.
Top each panna cotta with the jam and serve.

* homemade buttermilk: place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a 240ml-capacity measuring cup and complete with whole milk. Wait 10 minutes for it to thicken, and then use the entire mixture in your recipe

** this jam is absolutely delicious with vanilla ice cream, too.

Serves 6

Orange lime jelly

We all have our favorites: the little black dress for special occasions, the CD that is always on the glove compartment, or the movie we watch over and over again and never tire of. Lately I’ve been feeling the same way about jellies – they’re the first thing that pops in my mind when I want to make (and eat) spoon desserts. I guess that once the days get colder here I might change my mind, but for now I’m kind of obsessed. :)

Not only are these delicious, they're also very easy to make, but I should warn you: once you have a taste of jellies made with real fruit you’ll never go back to artificial jellies again. You have my word on that.

Orange lime jelly
adapted from the great Modern Classics 2

1/3 cup (80ml) water
5 teaspoons powdered gelatin
2 ¾ cups (660ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
2/3 cup (160ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
5 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar, or to taste
sweetened whipped cream, to serve

Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle over the gelatin. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
Combine the orange and lime juices and the sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low, add the gelatin and whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat, strain mixture into a jug, then divide evenly among eight ½ cup (120ml) capacity glasses or cups. Let cool to room temperature then refrigerate for 4-5 hours or until firm.
Top jellies with whipped cream and serve.

Serves 8

Cinnamon panna cotta

Yes, I love panna cotta – actually, I think I could be considered a panna cotta addicted, if there’s such a thing. :)
The original recipe was for vanilla panna cotta, but let me tell you, without any modesty, that my cinnamon version was quite something – perfectly spiced, creamy, delicious.

If you think that my panna cotta addiction is a problem, don’t get me started on the favorite movies issue – guess who was watching “Slumdog Millionaire” for the third time last night? ;)

Cinnamon panna cotta
adapted from Bon Appetit Desserts

¼ cup (60ml) cold water
2 ½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3 cups (720ml) heavy cream
2/3 cup (133g) caster sugar
8 cinnamon sticks
freshly ground cinnamon, to serve

Combine cream and cinnamon sticks in a small saucepan. Bring just to a boil over medium heat, remove from heat, cover and let stand for 15 minutes.
Pour the water into a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water, let stand until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, add sugar to cream mixture and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is piping hot. Remove from heat. Bring 2.5cm (1in) of water to a simmer. Place bowl with gelatin in simmering water. Stir until gelatin dissolves. Remove bowl from water. Add gelatin to cream mixture and stir until dissolved. Strain through a fine sieve into a measuring glass. Divide the liquid among eight ½-cup (120ml) capacity glasses. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 3 hours or until set.
Sprinkle with freshly ground cinnamon and serve.

Serves 8

Fresh lemon gelatin + a great lemonade poster boy

I am completely biased when it comes to lemon/lime things – and you all know that – but these gelatins are so delicious I beg you to try them!
It’s like eating solid lemonade – and if I can’t convince you of how good lemonade can be Mr. Ford is perfect for the job. ;)

Fresh lemon gelatin
from Luscious Lemon Desserts

3 ¼ cups (780ml) water
1 cup (200g) caster (superfine) sugar
¼ cup finely grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons plain, unflavored gelatin
1 ¼ cups (300ml) fresh lemon juice

Have ready six 1-cup (240ml) capacity glasses or ramekins.
Combine 2 ½ cups (600ml) of the water, the sugar and the zest into a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 15 minutes.
Pour the remaining ¾ cup (180ml) cup of the water into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Let stand until softened. Place the bowl in larger bowl of hot water and stir until the gelatin has dissolved and the liquid is clear.
Add the gelatin mixture to the saucepan and stir until dissolved. Stir in the lemon juice.
Pour the mixture through a strainer into the glasses/ramekins and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 3 hours or up to 5 days.

Serves 6

Plum and cinnamon jellies

Plum jellies – to me, this dessert sounded so unusual; my thoughts exactly after reading, a long time ago, that Sean Penn would play a gay man in a movie. Turns out he was perfect for the part and the movie was excellent – and I’m not even a fan of Gus Van Sant.

As for the jellies, I ate 3 out of the 4 portions – I thought you should know that. :)

Plum and cinnamon jellies
from Kitchen: The Best of the Best

6 large plums, stoned and quartered
1 cup + 1 ½ tablespoons (218g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped with the back of the knife
750ml water
juice of 1-2 oranges
6 gelatin leaves
sweetened whipped cream, to serve

Put the plums, sugar, cinnamon stick, vanilla seeds and bean and the water into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain the syrup through a fine sieve into a measuring jug. Add enough orange juice to make 600ml plum syrup*.
Soak the gelatin leaves in a large bowl of cold water for 10-15 minutes or until very soft. Return the syrup to the saucepan over low heat, until the syrup is warm. Squeeze any excess liquid from the gelatin leaves, then stir them into the warm syrup. Pour the jelly into four 150ml capacity molds and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Serve with cream.

*I got 600ml without having to add any orange juice

Serves 4

Vanilla panna cotta with rosewater roasted strawberries

Pretty much like Bryan Singer really needs a great movie to go back to the good old days, this panna cotta requires something delicious to be served with – and before you all go “oh, there she comes with roasted strawberries again”, I added rosewater to them this time, just to make things a bit different. :)

Vanilla panna cotta with rosewater roasted strawberries
from here and here

Panna cotta:
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon gelatin powder
2 cups (480ml) single or pouring cream
1/3 cup (47g) icing sugar, sifted
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Rosewater roasted strawberries:
16 strawberries, hulled and halved
1/3 cup (67g) caster sugar
½ tablespoon rosewater

Make the panna cotta: place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle over the gelatin. Stand for 5 minutes or until the gelatin absorbs the water. Place the cream in a saucepan over medium heat with the sugar, vanilla bean and seeds. Stir occasionally, allowing the cream to come to the boil. Add the gelatin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or just until gelatin is dissolved. Pass mixture through a fine sieve and allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.
Now, the roasted strawberries: Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F; place the strawberries in a small baking dish (do not use a shallow dish because the juices will bubble away in the oven) and sprinkle with the sugar and rosewater. Mix well and roast for 10-15 minutes or until the strawberries are soft and syrupy. Remove and set aside to cool completely.
Serve the panna cotta in the glasses, topped with the strawberries – this panna cotta is not firm enough to be unmolded.

Serves 6

Choc chip marshmallows

Not only my readers are the sweetest people ever, they also give me wonderful ideas – Barbara left me a comment once about homemade marshmallows she used to order and told me that her favorites were the chocolate chip ones. Hey, that is one marshmallow flavor I hadn’t tried yet! :)

So I made choc chip marshmallows, inspired by the lovely Barbara. And for the record, they became my sister’s favorites, too. :)

Choc chip marshmallows
adapted from here

2 tablespoons powdered gelatin
½ cup (120ml) warm water
330g caster sugar
½ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons glucose syrup
1/3 cup (80ml) water, extra
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
100g dark chocolate, chopped into chunks

For rolling the marshmallows:
¾ cup (105g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon corn starch, sifted

Lightly oil a 20cm (8in) square cake pan and dust with icing sugar.

Place the gelatin and warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer, stir well to combine and set aside. Place the sugar, glucose and extra water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil and cook without stirring for 5-6 minutes or until soft ball stage (115°C/240°F) on a sugar thermometer.

With the mixer running at high speed, gradually add the hot syrup to the gelatin mixture. Add the vanilla and beat for 10 minutes or until thick and fluffy. Fold in the chocolate chunks – some of them will melt lightly, causing the marbled effect. Pour into prepared pan, cover with foil or baking paper but do not let it touch the marshmallow. Set aside overnight in room temperature.

Place the icing sugar and corn starch in a bowl and stir to combine. Turn the marshmallow onto a surface lightly dusted with a little of the icing sugar mixture and carefully remove the pan. Cut into squares with a lightly oiled knife.

Dust with remaining icing sugar mixture and store in an airtight container.

Makes 36

Passion fruit jelly panna cotta

Blogging has made me change my mind about lots of foods: dishes I did not like, or should I say thought I did not like, have become favorites. And jellies are a good example: I thought they were boring until I tried the ones made with real fruit juice.

This passion fruit jelly is a bit different from the one I made before – the other recipe mixed passion fruit and orange – and goes really well with the panna cotta; the only “but” for me here was the panna cotta – I prefer it creamier and would use less gelatin next time.

Passion fruit jelly panna cotta
from Donna Hay magazine

Jelly:
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon gelatin powder
4 passion fruit – it will depend on their size, you might need less
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) caster sugar
1 ¼ cups (300ml) water, extra

Panna cotta:
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons gelatin powder*
2 cups (480ml) single or pouring cream
1/3 cup (47g) icing sugar, sifted
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

To make the jelly, place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle over the gelatin. Stand for 5 minutes or until the gelatin absorbs the water. Strain the passion fruit pulp through a fine sieve – you should have approximately ¼ cup (60ml) juice.
Place the juice, sugar and extra water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the gelatin mixture and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes to dissolve the gelatin. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve and divide between six ½ cup (120ml) capacity molds/glasses (if you intend to unmold the dessert, lightly grease the molds with neutral vegetable oil). Refrigerate until set (4-5 hours).
Make the panna cotta: place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle over the gelatin. Stand for 5 minutes or until the gelatin absorbs the water. Place the cream in a saucepan over medium heat with the sugar, vanilla bean and seeds. Stir occasionally, allowing the cream to come to the boil. Add the gelatin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or just until gelatin is dissolved. Pass mixture through a fine sieve and allow to cool to room temperature before pouring over the firm passion fruit jelly. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.
Serve in the glasses or unmold into plates.

* if you’re not unmolding the dessert, use less gelatin in the panna cotta – it is much more delicious when it’s creamier

Serves 6

Nutella panna cotta

I had lunch with a friend the other day and she ordered Nutella cheesecake for dessert – “I’ve never had Nutella cheesecake in my life, but it must be good – anything with Nutella is good”, she said.

Well, I have to agree with Luciane, anything with Nutella is good, indeed – including panna cotta. :)

Nutella panna cotta
slightly adapted from The Craft of Baking

1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
1 cup Nutella
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups (360ml) heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (240ml) whole milk

In a medium bowl, whisk together the gelatin and 3 tablespoons cold water.
Put the Nutella and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and vanilla to a boil. Pour 1/3 of the hot cream mixture over the gelatin and whisk it well. Then pour the gelatin mixture back into the remaining cream.
Pour about 1/3 of the cream mixture over the Nutella. Whisk well to form a smooth paste. Add the remaining cream mixture and whisk well to combine. Whisk in the milk.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, then divide it among eight ramekins, glasses or cups. Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours – the panna cotta can be kept, loosely covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
They can be served in the ramekins or dipped in hot water and unmolded onto a serving plate.

Serves 8

Orange blossom water marshmallows

I told you I’m absurdly partial to sweet recipes and I’m sure you’d noticed that already. :)
I love making spoon desserts and cupcakes, for instance, but there’s something that really makes me extra happy: to share what I make. Maybe that is why I’m such an avid cookie baker – they’re easy to package and to carry around; place some cookies in a bag and you can really make someone’s day nicer.

Marshmallows are the same – that’s why you always see them around here. :)

Orange blossom water marshmallows
adapted from here

2 tablespoons powdered gelatin
½ cup (120ml) warm water
330g caster sugar
½ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons glucose syrup
1/3 cup (80ml) water, extra
1 tablespoon orange blossom water

For rolling the marshmallows:
¾ cup (105g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon corn starch, sifted

Lightly oil a 20cm (8in) square cake pan and dust with icing sugar.

Place the gelatin and warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer, stir well to combine and set aside. Place the sugar, glucose and extra water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil and cook without stirring for 5-6 minutes or until soft ball stage (115°C/240°F) on a sugar thermometer.

With the mixer running at high speed, gradually add the hot syrup to the gelatin mixture. Add the orange blossom water and beat for 10 minutes or until thick and fluffy. Pour into prepared pan, cover with foil or baking paper but do not let it touch the marshmallow. Set aside overnight in room temperature.

Place the icing sugar and corn starch in a bowl and stir to combine. Turn the marshmallow onto a surface lightly dusted with a little of the icing sugar mixture and carefully remove the pan. Cut into squares with a lightly oiled knife.

Dust with remaining icing sugar mixture and store in an airtight container.

Makes 36

Sugared strawberry jubes

Before I started the blog I used to spend hours at imdb.com reading the movie trivia – I’d go from one to another, then another...

I still do that sometimes, but nowadays I usually share my browsing time between movies and recipes – one thing I love is to go to Gourmet Traveller’s website, click on a recipe and then check the end of the page, where there are four related recipes. I go from one to another, then another... This is how I found these strawberry jubes.

Sugared strawberry jubes
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

500g hulled strawberries (about 2 punnets)
280ml sparkling wine
530g caster sugar, plus extra for coating
2 teaspoons lemon juice
9 gelatin leaves (titanium strength), softened in cold water*

Combine strawberries and 1/3 cup (80ml) wine in a saucepan, cover and simmer over medium heat until strawberries are tender and juice is extracted (5-7 minutes). Strain through a fine sieve (you should have about 200ml). Add half the remaining wine and enough water to make 450ml and combine in a saucepan with sugar and lemon juice. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook until mixture reaches 120°C/248°F on a sugar thermometer (15-20 minutes) – if the mixture bubbles too much and looks like it is going to spill over, swirl the pan around. Remove from heat and stand for 10 minutes.
Squeeze excess water from gelatin, add to strawberry syrup with remaining wine. Stir to combine, then pour into a lightly oiled 16cm-square cake pan. Stand in a cool place overnight – I refrigerated mine for a couple of hours, too.

Scatter sugar over cutting board. Dip base of pan quickly in hot water (that was not necessary, I just ran the knife on the sides of the pan) and invert pan onto board to remove jelly. Cut jelly into cubes with a hot knife and toss in sugar to coat. Sugared jellies will keep in an airtight container for 1 week.

* make sure your gelatin is really strong – mine wasn’t that powerful and the jubes were on the soft side (thought still delicious)

Serves 8 - I made 2/3 of the recipe above, used a 15cm (6in) square pan and got 64 small jubes