Summer Berry Crumble

This couldn't be easier. It can be made with very little ingredients, and its even kid-friendly if you omit the rum.
Another whim recipe.

1 lb. Fresh Strawberries, hulled
1 lb. Fresh Raspberries
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 box (12 oz.) Vanilla Wafer Cookies
2 cups white chocolate chips, melted, divided
2 oz. rum
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the berries together in a bowl with the lemon juice.
Spread one layer of cookies in a 2 1/2 quart baking dish, until the bottom is covered.
Pour 1 cup of melted chocolate over the cookies.
Spread the berries and their liquid next.
Pour on the rum and vanilla extract.
Pour the remaining chocolate onto the berries.
Put the remaining cookies into a plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin.
Spread the cookie crumbs onto the top of the dessert.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top has set, and is golden brown.
Serve with whipped cream.

Panna Cotta

This is one of the more nerve-racking culinary experiences I've had. 

The concept of Panna Cotta is pretty basic. Its essentially a custard, similar to Flan, but without the caramel. 

The "fun" comes right before serving. Usually Panna Cotta is made in ramekins, and can be served in the ramekins. But, if you want to be authentic and/or fancy, you can remove the custard from the ramekins. How? Read on. I found this recipe at here, but the picture is all mine.

 

1 envelope of unflavored gelatin (approx. 2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups heavy cream*
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup fresh berries, gently washed, drained, and sweetened to taste**
6 sprigs fresh mint

*Half & half, buttermilk, whole milk, and/or sour cream may be substituted for part of the cream.

**Any assortment of fresh, seasonal fruit may be served with panna cotta, but berries are especially nice. To use other ripe, soft fruits, such as cherries, peaches or apricots, just remove the stones and peels as necessary and cut them into thin slices or bite-size pieces.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup milk; let stand until the gelatin is softened, about 5 minutes.

In a large saucepan, combine heavy cream and sugar. Add vanilla extract or vanilla bean. If using a vanilla bean, slice the bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds into cream (add whole bean to cream for additional flavor). Bring cream just to a simmer (do not let it boil), whisking occasionally until sugar has completely dissolved; remove from heat and remove vanilla bean pod. Add the softened gelatin mixture and whisk to completely dissolve the gelatin.

Strain hot cream mixture into a large glass measuring cup with a pouring spout; pour into ramekins or custard cups. NOTE: Don't skip the straining step as it removes any bits of undissolved gelatin and insures a nice smooth dessert. Also, don't let the cream mixture cool before straining. If using a vanilla bean, lightly swirl the cream to distribute the seeds evenly. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

MY NOTE: 

This is where the stress came in for me. If the Panna Cotta hasn't fully set, and you unmold it, it will break apart and spread on the plate. Also, you only have one shot and unmolding, so make sure its set. I know the instructions say "Refrigerate for at least 3 hours", but I let it set overnight, just to be sure. I attempted to unmold one after 3 hours, but after I ran a knife along the edge, it still looked kind of soupy, and you only get one shot at this, so I waited.

To unmold and serve, carefully dip bottom of each ramekin in a baking pan of hot water briefly. Run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin to loosen it from the inside of the bowl. Wipe the outside of the mold dry and place on individual chilled serving plate (topside down). Invert the custard onto the plate and carefully lift off ramekin (shake gently to release). Garnish with berries or fruit of your choice. I just spooned some rum-soaked cranberries over it, and it worked fine.

Makes 4 to 6 servings (depending on size of the custard cups).

Rum-Soaked Cranberry Bread Pudding with Hot Spiked Milk

So, my wife comes home with a free loaf of bread from work (no she doesn't work in a bakery, yes its weird that she has a free loaf of bread). So what to do with a free loaf of bread that is quickly hardening. How about some bread pudding? Luckily, I had all the ingredients in the house. I used some cranberries that I have been soaking for the last few weeks in rum. I used them in the pudding itself, and in the sauce I poured over at the end, when I plated. You could probably use regular dried cranberries, but who doesn't like a little rum with dessert?

1 loaf of day old bread, cubed (free, if possible, because... well, its better than paying I guess)
1 cup + 1/2 cup soaked cranberries (or 3/4 cup + 1/4 cup dried cranberries)
3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted
3 1/2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
6 eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the bread cubes with 1 cup soaked cranberries in a large bowl. 
Put the bread cubes and cranberries in a 9 x 12 x 2-inch baking dish.
Pour the melted butter over the cubes.
Combine 2 1/2 cups of milk, sugar, cream, sugar, cinnamon and eggs.
Pour milk mixture over the bread cubes until all of the bread is covered. If you don't cover the bread entirely, the exposed edges will burn.
Put the pudding in the oven for approx. 35 minutes, or until the bread is springy to the touch.

FOR PLATING:
Heat through 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup cranberries, and approx. 1/2 cup of the cranberry soaking liquid.

Scoop out some of the bread pudding into a bowl or plate. Spoon the sauce over the pudding until it covers the bottom of the dish. Make sure to get some of the cranberries onto the pudding. Serve immediately.

Cherry Oatmeal Parfait with Whiskey Cream

3/4 cup Sugar

12 oz. Black Cherries, pitted

1 oz. Orange Juice

1 cup Whipping Cream

1/4 cup Whiskey

15 Oatmeal Cookies

Toasted Almonds for garnish

Chill 5 wine glasses or martini glasses.

Mix 1/4 cup sugar, cherries and orange juice in a blender until smooth.

Pour cherry mixture through a sieve, and reserve the liquid. Dispose of the cherry skins.

Use a hand mixer to whip the heavy cream. Fold 1/2 cup sugar into cream.

When the whipped cream forms soft peaks, whip the whiskey into the cream and set aside.

Pour a small amount of the cherry liquid into the bottom of the glasses.

Crumble 3 cookies into each glass.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the cherries over the cookies.

Scoop about 2 tbsp. of the whiskey cream onto the cherries.

Chill the parfaits in the fridge for about an hour.

Right before serving, sprinkle toasted almonds over each parfait.

This recipe came up as a quick way to use some oatmeal cookies we had around the house. This is a really good recipe to use with stale cookies.

Various Sorbets

An easy one to start with.

2 cups strawberries, hulled or Mangoes or Cherries or Kiwis

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp. lime juice

1. Dissolve sugar in water, until clear.

2. Add fruit, lime juice and half of the sugar water in a blender and mix until smooth. Add more sugar water to taste.

3. Put the mixture in a metal bowl and freeze for 30 minutes.

4. Eat.

This one was fun and easy. All you need is a blender. I subsituted different fruits each time (Mangos, Kiwis, Black Cherries, so far), and the recipe barely changes.