Panna Cotta and Women's Breasts

General Food Knowledge Unknown to Kelly Choi - Big Surprise

Jul 18, 2009 Jacqueline Church

Top Chef Masters provides a titillating moment. Jay Rayner offers elucidation about panna cotta. Host Kelly Choi then asks James Oseland for confirmation. Really?

Panna cotta, when done properly should "wobble like a woman's breasts" according to London food critic Jay Rayner, as confirmed by Saveur's James Oseland. OF COURSE Choi did not know this food fact. OF COURSE the regal, if Insatiable, Gael Greene, did.

Why anyone thought that Choi would make an appropriate host for this Top Chef Masters show is a mystery. She looks anorexic and can be seen barely choking down a bite or two on the show. It is painful to watch. At least Padma cooks, knows food, and enjoys eating it!

Besides something delightfully wobbly - what is Panna Cotta?

Translated literally, Panna Cotta means "cooked cream." Traditionally, this Italian chilled dessert was set with gelatin derived from fish bones. We now know it to be thickened with gelatin. Either sheets or packets may be used. Gelatin is always dissolved first in cold liquid before added to a recipe.

While debates rage on foodie discussion boards about the propriety of substituting anything for heavy cream and still calling the dessert Panna Cotta, it's now widely accepted that substitutions for cream are fine. Among the candidates are: evaporated milk, buttermilk, whole milk or lowfat milk. God help us, someone has probably also derived a soy milk recipe but as comedian Louis Black points out, there are no nipples on soybeans. Aside from soy milk (or as Black says "soy juice"), the other options work fine, especially in combination.

Flavors are added to the cream/milk combination and often range from vanilla, to berries or fruits.

Most often, panna cotta is chilled in cups or molds then unmolded on a plate. It can easily be eaten right from the cup but one loses that wobbly fun presentation.

The benefits of this dessert are many. 1) It must be made ahead of time, preventing frantic last minute efforts by the cook. 2) It is a wonderful way to take advantage of summer fruits. 3) It can be dressed up or served in minimalist fashion. 4) It can be lightened so as to produce a relatively low fat dessert with lots of flavor. 5) It is cool, comforting, and refreshing, making it perfect for summer.

The Leather District Gourmet's Dulce de Leche Panna Cotta (based on Clumbsy Cookie recipe, here)

100 gr (3.5 oz) sugar
200 ml 2% milk
500 ml fat free evaporated milk
1/2 cup dulce de leche
1.5 packets of powdered gelatin, softened in
~ 1/2 C of cold strong black coffee

You will need:

two pans, one medium sauce pan, one small
cups for molding
whisk
sieve

Steps:

Place sugar in the larger of the two pans, turn heat to medium high to melt. Bring to golden brown.
In smaller of the two pans, place milk (or milk and cream mixture, as you wish) and bring just to simmer.
CAREFULLY, pour just boiled milk/cream into caramelized sugar. IT WILL BUBBLE UP quickly.
Whisk away removing pan from heat and melting caramelized sugar into the milk/cream.
Add dulce de leche and whisk until it's dissolved.
After carefully whisking the softened gelatin and the cold coffee, pour that mixture into the main pot and continue whisking until smooth.
Pour through a sieve into teacups or molds or dessert glasses.
Chill thoroughly, wrapped, about 3 hours depending on size of cups and refrigerator.

To unmold simply remove from frig, allow to warm slightly. You can dip the container into warm water or slide a thin knife along the side of the cup. Invert on a plate. Let it wobble. Compare to nearest breast for extra fun.

Here's another lighter version: Evaporated milk panna cotta.

What is Dulce de Leche?

Dulce de Leche is caramelized sweetened condensed milk. Or caramelized, sweetened milk. Often it is used in cakes, cookies, served over ice cream in South America. It is a key ingredient in Tres Leches cake. It is the filling in the famous Alfajores that cause chefs and photographers alike to swoon. One writer near and dear to our heart swears she gained 12 lbs in 12 days eating all the sweet treats Santiago had offer - it was the dulce de leche that filled every pastry, cookie, cake.

The copyright of the article Panna Cotta and Women's Breasts in Gourmet Food is owned by Jacqueline Church. Permission to republish Panna Cotta and Women's Breasts in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.