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Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta with Orange Essence, crisp Florentine
and Chocolate Crème Anglaise
The milk chocolate panna cotta is creamy and delicate, and carries the orange essence well. It is beautiful served sitting in a pool of chocolate crème anglaise. It is accompanied by a crisp Florentine cookie, which has a nutty texture and light orange flavor, as well as a delicious chocolate coating. If you’d prefer, you can also serve the dessert without the crème anglaise, without the cookie, or without either. (Some lightly whipped cream and orange zest works perfectly well, too!) It’s an easy, elegant dessert for a party or at home -- plus, it can be made ahead of time for easy entertaining.
½ cup cold water
2 envelopes powdered unflavored gelatin (4.5 tspns)
3 ½ cups cream
12 oz good quality milk chocolate, chopped (Ghirardelli makes an easy- to- find chocolate baking bar that works well in this recipe)
3 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Gran Marnier
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest, to garnish (optional)
Lightly whipped cream, to garnish (optional)
Serve with Chocolate Crème Anglaise and Crisp Florentine
Pour the water into a small dish. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water evenly; allow it to stand for 5 minutes until the gelatin has softened thoroughly.
Heat two cups of the cream in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Bring it to a boil, removing it immediately after it reaches a boil. Quickly add the chocolate, swirling the pan gently to immerse the chocolate in the hot cream. It will begin to melt; allow it to stand for 3-4 minutes, or until it has all melted and looks smooth.
In a separate (3 qt) saucepan, heat the milk, sugars, and remaining cream. Stir to dissolve the sugars. Slowly increase the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat; slowly pour the hot milk into the melted chocolate mixture, stirring constantly. Make sure all of the ingredients are well combined. Stir in the vanilla and Gran Marnier. Carefully whisk in the softened gelatin until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Divide the mixture among 12 small custard cups or pot de crème bowls; (this can also be molded in martini glasses if you would like). Allow the cups to cool to room temperature before covering with cling film. Refrigerate until set; about 4 hours or up to one day.
When ready to serve: dip the bottom of the ramekins one at a time in a bowl of hot water for 5 seconds. Run a table knife around the edges of the custard
To plate: ladle some of the chocolate crème anglaise onto the center of a serving dish. Carefully and invert each custard onto a separate plate and gently slide the panna cotta onto the center of the pool of anglaise. Garnish with lightly whipped cream, if desired, and a Florentine.
© Josie Ross 2009
Chocoalate Crème Anglaise
This dressy, custard-style sauce is easy to make. It is good with most things: berries, ice cream, pound cake, chocolate cake or the creamy milk chocolate panna cotta.
1 cup cream
1 cup half and half
6 egg yolks
1/3 cup of sugar
¼ lb (4 oz) dark chocolate, chopped (Dagoba makes a good one)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
In a heavy saucepan, heat the cream and half and half over medium high heat. Do not allow to boil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Carefully whisk in 2 tablespoons or so of the hot cream. Bring the temperature of the eggs up slowly, by continuing to gradually add the hot cream bit by bit until it is all incorporated. Return the liquid to the saucepan and cook over medium low heat, whisking constantly, for about 6 minutes, or until the custard sauce coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow the sauce to boil.
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate. Allow it to stand for a few minutes, or until all of the chocolate has melted. Pour the custard through a sieve set over a glass bowl. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Finally, whish in the vanilla (adding it too early causes the flavor to dissipate). Serve immediately, or, refrigerate covered, for up to 3 days.
©Josie Ross 2009
Crisp Florentines
This is my version of the Florentine -- a classic cookie from Florence with chocolate, almonds and candied orange peel. Traditionally, the flat side of the cookies are dipped in chocolate, but I like to dip half of the cookie in chocolate, like a Black and White. You can do it either way -- it all tastes good.
4 oz dark chocolate, chopped, and melted
¼ cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in four pieces, plus extra butter for greasing the pan
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons corn syrup
Dash of salt
½ cup blanched and sliced almonds, chopped
2 tablespoons candied orange peel, chopped
½ teaspoon orange zest
Preheat the oven to 350. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, use some of the butter to grease the pan.
Set the chocolate aside to cool.
Whisk the sugar, butter, cream, flour and corn syrup together in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the salt. Make sure that all of the ingredients are well combined. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the almonds, and orange peel and zest.
Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheet- cookies should be about 3 inches apart because they will spread (you will have to do multiple batches). Bake each tray for 10 minutes, or until cookies are set. Cool the cookies on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter.
Sip half of each cookie into the melted chocolate and return to the baking rack to cool.
© Josie Ross 2009
