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Panna cotta, an Italian set cream dessert that is irresistibility delicious, silky and smooth. It certainly is one of our family favorites and most likely, one of yours too. And like all classic desserts, variations exist, like this elderflower panna cotta with strawberries and crumble topping. If you live in an area where fresh elderflowers grow then lucky you. Continue reading “Elderflower Panna Cotta with Strawberries and Crumble Topping”
Using left over Christmas pudding to make an easy pudding ice cream is a refreshing alternative and makes a delicious festive dessert. Anytime I’ve served this dessert its gone down a treat. Buying a good quality ice cream saves time with preparation but you could also make your own using this recipe, omit the Kahlua and replace the pumpkin with Christmas pudding. Use individual pudding moulds for dinner parties or, use a large pudding mould for informal gatherings.
The new year is around the corner so I wish you all a very Happy New Year 2013 and hope it’s filled with health, happiness, lots of good times with friends and family and of course… delicious food!
Ingredients:
for decoration
How to make: Before you start; chill the Christmas pudding (if not already in the fridge), bowls and utensils! Line individual pudding moulds (or large mould) with some cling-film, over lapping at the edges.
Place the ice cream, christmas pudding and nutmeg into a bowl and quickly mix until combined. Spoon into 6 (150ml) pudding moulds, cover with cling-film and place into the freezer for a couple of hours before serving.
To serve, turn out the christmas pudding ice-cream onto plates and remove the cling-film. Decorate with degrees and dust with some icing sugar, if desired.
This dessert can be made a couple of days in advance, before serving you might want to leave the dessert in the fridge for about 10 to 20 minutes (depending on size) to soften.
This post is part of the December photography challenge by Simone from Junglefrog Cooking, who is also hosting the Monthly Mingle from What’s for Lunch Honey by Meeta Wolff!
Once again Jennifer (Delicieux) is hosting this months “Sweet Adventures Blog Hop” and the theme,“lemons.” I was ready to submit an earlier post on the magical stages of a developing lemon... when I just realized no older posts would be accepted on the blog hop…darn!
A quick re-think and a scan over some ingredients already stocked in the kitchen… lemon posset came to mind.
Lemon posset is a dessert based on a very old British medieval drink called a posset. This drink was made by heating milk, then curdling with an acid such as wine or ale. The hot posset was also used for minor aliments such as the common cold and was often spiced with ginger and aniseed.
Even William Shakespeare’s Macbeth makes reference to this medieval drink when Lady Macbeth uses poisoned possets to knock out the guards outside Duncan’s palace
“The doors are open, and the surfeited grooms
Do mock their charge with snores. I have drugg’d their possets
That death and nature do contend about them,
Whether they live or die.”
Fast forward to the 20th century and posset is a smooth and luxurious tangy-sweet lemony thickened cream that is chilled and best served in small quantities. A super easy do-ahead dessert for dinner parties. Like Lady Macbeth I hope to knock out (figuratively speaking) my guests by “drugg’d their (my guests) possets“ with this deliriously lemony dessert shooter with a hint of fresh garden thyme.
Lemon and Fresh Thyme Posset Shooters
Ingredients:
You will need 6 small shot type glasses, the recipe can easily be doubled if you require a larger quantity.
How to make:
Pour the cream into a heavy based saucepan. Add the sugar and fresh thyme. Over a medium heat dissolve the sugar in the cream while stirring continuously. Let the cream come to a gentle boil (do not let the cream boil over), reduce the heat and simmer the cream for three minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the lemon juice (this will thicken the cream) and lemon zest. Let cool for about 5 minutes, remove the thyme sprigs and pour into 6 small shot glasses. Once cool cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours (will thicken further) or overnight.
Before serving (straight from the fridge) scatter over a few thyme leaves and/or grated lemon zest.
Note: Do not use cream that has a lower fat content than 35% or the cream will curdle when you add the lemon juice. Ideally double cream which has a much higher fat content should be used which will result in a creamier and thicker setting posset.
Using a microplane zester (my star zester) will give the best results for obtaining a very fine grating of lemon zest.
This post is part of the “Sweet Adventures Blog Hop,” click (here) and check out all the other lemon dessert entries!
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