Instead of going out for a pricey meal on Valentine's Day, I suggest that you host a romantic dinner for two in the comforts of your own home. Make it special by setting the table, lighting some candles, and serving a meal that is decadent and delicious. I've searched through our recipes and selected a menu that's sure to please the meat-and-potato lover in your life. It's a four-course meal, so you might want to get started with the planning on Sunday.
The other day I was making panna cotta with my mom. Aside from boxed Jell-O, she's never cooked with gelatin before. When I told her to let the gelatin sit in water, she had a hard time not stirring it. It's a lesson I learned the first time I cooked with gelatin. You have to leave it alone in order for it to bloom. Are you familiar with the ingredient? What have you made with it?
Panna cotta is a super-easy dessert to make at home that will surely impress guests! The whole process of cooking the cream and setting the gelatin takes no more than 10 minutes. The hands-off time requires a bit of patience: it takes several hours for the cream to set.
While waiting, roast the strawberries. This enhances the fruit's sweetness and a touch of thyme adds a nice earthiness. Since it can be prepared and plated ahead of time, this dessert is perfect for a dinner party.
If you have trouble getting the panna cotta out of the cups (like I did), set them in a shallow bowl of hot water to loosen the sides. Each bite of scrumptious strawberries and creamy panna cotta is light and full of flavor. Start warming up the oven to roast your strawberries and keep reading for the recipe.
While most people automatically think of baklava when they hear the words "Greek" and "dessert," I want to surprise my girlfriends with something unexpected. The Greek dinner takes place after a day of wine tasting, so a make-ahead sweet treat, like Greek yogurt panna cotta, is ideal. A couple of years ago at our annual girls' getaway, I passed out before finishing cooking dessert, and this is a mistake I don't want to repeat this weekend! Traditional panna cotta is made with cream, but this recipe incorporates thick yogurt into the mixture. The resulting dish, which is topped with honey-glazed apricots, is smooth and slightly sweet. To check out the recipe, read more
Happy Valentine's Day! While some guys have a sweet tooth, I know a few who don't enjoy decadent chocolate desserts. If your honey happens to be a choco-hater, serve him panna cotta, a delicious Italian dessert.
Heavy cream, sugar, gelatin, and vanilla bean combine to make this incredibly simple, but insanely scrumptious treat. It has the chilled texture of custard without the flavor of eggs. Show your love by making the panna cotta in a heart-shaped baking dish. For a festive touch, drizzle raspberry sauce (caramel or honey would be equally delicious) over the cream heart. To start cooking — panna cotta needs several hours to set — read more
Do you know anyone who is a food snob? You know who I'm talking about, that friend of yours who refuses to eat American cheese and salad from a bag. Her definition of dinner is a seven course meal with wine pairings to match each course. How on earth can you possibly invite her to your next dinner party when you know she'll turn her nose up at your lack of foie gras and sumac? Here's my solution, don't invite her for dinner, invite her for dessert. I have a can't-go-wrong, guaranteed-to-knock-your-socks-off (even if you're a food snob) dessert called panna cotta. Just the sound of it conjures up fantasies of an exquisite dessert. To impress your food snob friends and make panna cotta, read more
