Give Me Some Food

Christmas Eve needed to be an easy meal. Out of the Christmas holidays, it was the only day that Felix’s mom wasn’t On-Call so I had to prepare something where I wouldn’t be hiding in the kitchen the entire day- I happen to have really good in-law karma and I actually love spending time with Felix’s parents. Yes, go on, hate me.

Cooking in someone else’s kitchen can be both enlightening and frustrating. I love their kitchen because they have a gas stove and it doesn’t take five days to boil a pot of water, but they also have knives that are so dull I would consider letting a small child play with them. I made the meal out of BA that was entitled “Christmas in a Flash.” It looked like this:

 The concept behind this meal was that you buy half and make half. Unfortunately dessert fell in the half you were supposed to buy and that is just unacceptable! So I searched for a dessert that would be quick and delicious. In the back of the December BA I found Lewis Rossman’s (a reader from Half Moon Bay) recipe for Hazelnut Panna Cotta with Berry Compote.

It’s amazing and super easy- I left out the Frangelico because alcohol belongs in a glass, not in a dessert. You can do what you want. Either way you should make it…

 Serves 6

 2 cups whipping cream, divided
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 1/3 c crème fraiche or sour cream
2/3 c. hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped
½ c. + 2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp Frangelico
½ tsp vanilla
1 ½ c fresh blackberries or frozen- thawed (I used the frozen because they come with juices and make a better, easier sauce)

In a small saucepan, pour ½ c. cream. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining cream, crème fraiche, hazelnuts, and ½ c. sugar in saucepan and set over medium heat until sugar dissolves and liquid comes to a gentle boil. Remove from heat. Cover and steep 5 minutes. Strain mixture into another bowl. Put saucepan with gelatin over medium-low heat and stir until gelatin dissolves. Whisk into strained cream and add Frangelico and vanilla. Divide among 6 ramekins and refrigerate until set- at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Mix berries and remaining sugar together. Spoon berries over panna cotta and serve.

One of the things that makes this quick is you don’t have to plate the panna cotta (put the bottom of the ramekin in hot water and then turn it over on another plate, praying that it stays together.)

Hooray for low-stress desserts.