It was "love at first bite" in June of 2000, when I first slid my spoon into the silky, creamy panna cotta con frutta del bosco at Osteria del Tempo Perso in Montespertoli, Italy.
Mark and I had rented a farmhouse with six women friends in the small town of Fiano, near Certaldo. One day, we ran off from the group to have an adventure on our own. We bought a case of wine from a small family-run vineyard for $2 a bottle, picked up some vegetables and homemade jarred sauce from a roadside stand, and then had lunch in this small, off-the-beaten-path osteria.
We walked in and, as it was early, there was only one other couple seated in the large room; most of the room was taken up with a large, empty, U-shaped table set for 25-30 people, with many wine glasses at each place. Eventually the table filled and a banquet commenced. As it turned out, it was the regional wine-growers annual luncheon hosted by the mayor.
While loud and raucous, it was great fun to witness such a celebratory local event from the sidelines. We sat quietly eating our creamy truffle tagliatelle, watching them, and eavesdropping on their conversation.
Our food was deliriously good - especially the panna cotta - and we decided that we had to bring all our friends back for a special dinner. And we had the perfect idea.
Before leaving for Italy, we had already decided we wanted to have a special dinner with our friends, and we decided to make them each a party favor...
Since shawls were just coming back into fashion, we made one for each of them trying to match their taste, color preferences, and personality. We had asked our friends to pack a simple solid-colored dress for this occasion.
Prior to our departure, we had fun shopping for fabrics and notions, and designing and sewing them: cream and black shantung silk, lined with silvery blue shantung, for Cathy, and embroidered red Chinese silk with a saffron yellow lining for Barb. Sue got jewel-toned shantung with a black lining and - because she is French - Marie-Lise got a simple black one with white pearls sewn into the ends. Ursula, our lover of the Arts & Crafts movement, was given a wheat-colored linen shawl with sage green details (a nod to Charles Rennie Macintosh) and, for Joanne, we made one from lavender linen that accentuated her blue eyes.
We took them to Osteria del Tempo Perso, and every head in the restaurant turned as we walked in. All these beautiful women with shawls... it must have been quite a sight in this small Tuscan town. And, of course, we all had panna cotta for dessert.
Since then, I have made panna cotta often - with fresh berries, a berry sauce, chocolate sauce (my least favorite) and sometimes, in the winter, with a Marsala-chestnut honey sauce and pine nuts. But this is my favorite iteration to date.
Strange that, even though it is an Italian dish, this version has definite Provençal leanings, with its blue berries and golden honey. And the flavor? Provençal lavender mixed with lemon and rosemary honey we brought back from Provence.
The tanginess of the yoghurt offsets the density of the cream and the sweetness of the honey. The balance, I think, is pretty perfect. I hope you think so too.
Lemon-Lavender Panna Cotta
3 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoons dried culinary lavender buds
wide strips of zest from 2 organic lemons
1 packet (1.5 teaspoons) powdered unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 cups Greek yoghurt (2%)
1 cup blueberries
rosemary honey to drizzle
lavender syrup to drizzle
Place cream, sugar, lavender buds, and lemon zest in a medium sauce pan and bring slowly to a simmer. Remove from heat and let steep 10 minutes.
Toward the end of the steeping time, place cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle with the gelatin. Let sit 5 minutes.
Bring the cream mixture to a simmer once more, add the softened gelatin and stir until it has melted into the cream. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
Place yoghurt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to loosen. When cream has cooled somewhat, strain this mixture into the yoghurt and whisk well to blend.
If you want to unmold them, rinse 8 round-bottomed tea cups and divide mixture among them. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably 8 hours. (Can be made 2 days in advance.) To unmold, dip cups in very hot water for 10 seconds and then turn over onto a plate. You will have to shake it a bit to release the panna cotta.
If not unmolding them, divide mixture among 8 ramekins or small serving cups, cover, and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably 8 hours. (Can be made 2 days on advance.)
To serve, top each panna cotta with blueberries and then drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon rosemary honey and 1/2 teaspoon lavender syrup.
Serves 8.
Lavender syrup can be purchased in specialty stores and online at Amazon.
Culinary lavender buds can be purchased Windy Hills Lavender.
Rosemary honey can be purchased Chefshop.com.
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| Berries arranged at the Lourmarin market |
Labels: blueberries, cream, Greek yogurt, lavender, lavender syrup, lemon, Montespertoli, Osteria del Tempo Perso, panna cotta, rosemary honey, tuscany
