Traditional Italian Panna Cotta with Fresh Berry Sauce

Panna cotta is a creamy, delicate and lusciously smooth pure goodness. 

Chilled to perfection and served with a sweet and summery berry sauce.

Let's face it. It's summer and nobody wants to spend too much time in the kitchen baking and sweating next to a hot oven. But there is no reason to give up making amazing desserts just because of the weather. I am NOT going to ... no matter what the thermometer reads!
So this summer, when your sweet tooth is calling you, here is a great recipe to try.
Panna cotta is super easy and fast to whip up. It's a traditional, classic Italian dessert. And as the name suggests ("cooked cream") it just involves bringing to a slow boil a mixture of heavy cream, milk and a couple of other ingredients. No baking in the oven! But you will need to be a bit patient before tasting this dessert. It needs at least five hour (or overnight) in the refrigerator to set and chill.
Today's recipe is the most traditional panna cotta, with a delicate vanilla flavor. You can serve it like I did with berry sauce. Or with chocolate or caramel sauce. Also very delicious!

I just picked up some super sweet, organic strawberries at the market, and so, voila' ... strawberry sauce. A simple puree' of strawberries with a sprinkle of sugar and a splash of lemon juice. And to decorate, more berries! Different color, of course. To make it prittyer and fruity-er.... The eye always wants its part!
You can change it up and make it fun. Use blueberries or raspberries. Or any combination of these. You will love it!

Ingredients: serving 4                   PRINTABLE RECIPE

• 1/4 cup ( 60 ml ) of milk
• 1 envelope (0.25 oz = 6 gr) of powder gelatin - unflavored (6 gr)
• 2 cups (475 ml) of heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

For the sauce:

• 8 oz (225 gr) of (organic) strawberries
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• other berries (blueberries, blackberries) for decoration

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 5 hours inactive
Directions:

1. In a small bowl, add the milk and sprinkle with the gelatin powder. Stir and let stand for about 5 minutes while you do the next steps.

2. In a large pan add the heavy cream, half cup of sugar and the vanilla extract. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Don't let the cream boil.As soon as the first bubble appears on the side, and it looks like it starts to boil, remove from the heat.

3. Stir in the gelatin mixture in the cream mixture, and whisk until blended.

4. Divide the cream evenly into 4 ramekins or cups. Cool to room temperature . Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate  for at least 5 hours or overnight.

5. Before serving prepare the strawberry sauce: puree the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice in a blender. You can eliminate the seeds, but passing the puree through a sieve. Or use it as is, like I did.

6. You can serve the panna cotta in the cups, or inverted into a plate.To do so,  place the cups into hot water (one at a time) for a few seconds. Run a knife around the edges and invert onto a serving plate.

Decorate with strawberry sauce and fresh berries.

Enjoy :)

Two-Layer Raspberry, Nutella and Hazelnuts Semifreddo

This refreshing semi-frozen dessert combines a creamy Nutella and crunchy hazelnuts layer, 

 topped with a tangy raspberry layer, 

all covered with a drizzle of hot chocolate and a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts.

Last minute Mother's Day gift idea, right from your kitchen!

Happy Mother's Day! I hope you are enjoying a super special and love-filled weekend.

Here is an amazing dessert idea that will show your mom how special she is.
This heart-shaped semi-frozen dessert is simply delicious. One layer of rich and creamy Nutella and crunchy hazelnuts, topped with a chilled and tangy raspberry layer. And you can get creative with the decoration: drizzle this dessert with a little (... or a lot!) of hot chocolate, a spoonful of chopped hazelnuts. And why not, some fresh organic raspberries on the side!
And yes! As most of my other recipes, this is also quite easy to make, and you only need few ingredients that I'm sure you have in your kitchen right now. It just takes a bit of time for the layers to chill and set in the freezer. The good thing, you can prepare it ahead of time, and have it ready in the freezer for your special occasion. Trust me, all the waiting is well worth it!

Note: to make this semifreddo I used heart-shaped silicone molds, 3 inches wide, half cup capacity each. With the ingredients listed below, you end up with 12 small servings. You can also use regular, round cups to store the semifreddo in the freezer, and make bigger servings if you prefer.

Here are other ideas for a Mother's Day gift right from your kitchen.
Frozen meringue cups drizzled with hot chocolate

Or you can surprise your mom with other beautiful handmade edible bouquet of roses:
Apple roses:

I'm sure your mom will be so happy with any of these deliciously beautiful dessert.

Made with love :-)

Ingredients: to make 12 small (1/2 cup) heart-shaped cups

• 4 egg yolks, divided
• 2/3 cups (150 gr) sugar, divided, plus one tablespoon
• 12 fl oz (350 ml) of whipping cream, divided
• 6 oz (170 gr) organic raspberries
• 1/3 cup (100 gr) of Nutella, or other chocolate spread, plus some to drizzle on top for decoration
• 1/2 cup (2.5 oz, 70 gr) of chopped hazelnuts

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus at least 2 hours in the freezer
Directions:
1. Start by preparing the raspberry layer. Bring a pan of water to a boil. In heat-safe bowl, whisk together 2 egg yolks with 1/3 cup (75 gr) of sugar.

2.  When the water boils, turn the heat to medium-low, and place the bowl on top of  the pan. Whisk for about 4 minutes. Remove the bowl from the simmering water, and let it cool off.

3. Puree the raspberries in a food processor, with one tablespoon of sugar,  and mix in the egg and sugar mixture.

4. Whip 6 oz (175 ml) of cream to soft peaks. Add to the bowl, and fold gently.

5. Spoon the mixture in silicone cups filling them halfway to the top. My cups are 1/2 cup in capacity. So I add a quarter of a cup to each, and used exactly 12 cups (filled halfway).
Place in the freezer for about 45-60 minutes until set.

6. For the nutella layer: in a heat-safe bowl, whisk together the two remaining egg yolks and 1/3 cup of sugar. Place the bowl over simmering water again, and whisk.

7. After 2 minutes, add the nutella and whisk for two more minutes.

8. Remove from the heat, add the chopped hazelnuts (save some to sprinkle on top at the end), and mix. Let it cool off.
9. Whip the remaining 6 oz of cream. Fold gently in the nutella mixture.

10. Spoon the mixture evenly in the 12 cups,which should now be filled completely. Place in the freezer again to set for at least one hour.

Serve with fresh raspberries on the side, melted chocolate (or nutella) on top, and a sprinkle of chopped hazelnut.

Oh-so delicious!

Heart Shaped Fruit Tart

You can celebrate this Valentine's Day with these elegant, fruity and creamy berry tarts with custard cream.

Happy Valentine's Day!!
For today, my last heart shaped dessert: made from scratch, berry tarts with custard cream.
I really outdid myself this Valentine's week with lots of sweetness. My kids especially have been super happy with a new delicious, homemade dessert almost everyday. I can't lie, I ate and really enjoy them too. But man, oh man, now I have to pick up my workout for the rest of the month. I started already yesterday morning. I went for an amazing 5 miles hike with a friend here in the Santa Monica mountains, AND I played tennis for an hour.  So much fun! I wish I had enough time every day for all this workout.
Going back to today's recipe: it's simple, elegant, colorful and oh-so yummy. And in a heart shape, of course! I took the idea on how to make the tart crust from a video I saw on facebook: you cut the dough with a cookie cutter, place it on an upside down muffin mold and bake. The theory is great, and I'm happy with the results. But in practice, you have to be really careful on how you place the dough or the cups might come out in a really weird shape. This is the first time I tried it, and with the exception of a couple, most of mine came out quite good.

Here is the rest of the recipe.

Ingredients: To make 12 tarts

• 6 tablespoons (85 gr) of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon of milk
• 1/3 cup (70 gr) of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• a pinch of salt
• 1 cup (150 gr) of all-purpose flour, plus a few tablespoons
• strawberries and blueberries for decoration

for the custard cream:

• 10 fl oz (300 ml) of milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/3 cups (65 gr) of sugar
• 2 tablespoons (20 gr) of corn starch
• 2 fl oz (60 ml) of heavy whipping cream (optional)

Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus one hour (or more) inactive

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In  a large bowl, place the butter at room temperature, egg yolk, milk, sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Blend all the ingredients until smooth and fluffy.

2. Add the flour and blend again. 

3. On a lightly floured counter, roll the dough and cut your 12 (or so) cookies. 

4. On a baking sheet, place your mold upside down and top with your cut out dough. Make sure it is centered. 

5. Bake for about 14 minutes, or until slightly golden on the edges.

6. Prepare a custard cream using 10 oz of milk, vanilla extract, egg yolks, sugar and corn starch. Follow this recipe. Let it cool down and refrigerate for at least an hour.

7. If you would like to make your cream a little more light and rich, whip 2 oz of whipping cream, and combine to the custard cream.

 Decorate the cups right before serving (so the fruit will look fresh) with the cream, strawberries cut in half and blueberries.

Enjoy!