Passionfruit Panna Cotta with Raspberry Lime Coulis

2 cups light cream
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup thawed Goya passionfruit pulp
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons hot water
3 teaspoons Knox gelatin

2 cups fresh raspberries
Zest of 1 lime
1-2 tablespoons sugar

To Make Panna Cotta:

Heat up cream, milk, passionfruit pulp and sugar in medium heavy sauce pot over medium-low heat. Cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If mixture begins to steam, turn heat down to avoid boiling. Remove from heat.

Whisk together hot water and gelatin in small bowl. Let dissolve for about 5 minutes. Stir in some hot passionfruit cream until gelatin dissolves.

Mix in gelatin mixture into passionfruit cream. Taste and add more sugar if cream is too tart. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Pour into 6-8 ramekins and refrigerate, covered with Saran wrap at least 4 hours.


To Make Raspberry-Lime Coulis:

Place 1 1/2 cup raspberries in a saucepan and add the lime zest. Mash with a fork and add 1 tablespoon, stirring until dissolved.

When the raspberries are just beginning to simmer, pour through a sieve into a bowl, pushing the berries with a large spoon to release the juice. Taste, adding more sugar if needed.


Serve panna cotta with raspberry-lime coulis. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

Vanilla Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce and Creme Anglaise

I have never been especially drawn to French cuisine - those who know me know Italian, Spanish and Caribbean occupy most of my heart and stomach - but lately I have found myself intrigued by the recipes in my Corden Bleu cookbook. This dessert is based off a similar recipe in my cookbook, altered for my convenience and taste.

For Creme Anglaise (adapted from Epicurious):

1 cup whole milk
1 2-inch piece vanilla bean, split
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar

Combine milk and vanilla in heavy sauce pan and bring to a simmer/boil. Remove from heat. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture. Return custard to saucepan. Stir over low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 5 minutes (do not boil). Strain sauce into bowl. Cover and chill.


For Chocolate Sauce:

2/3 cup whole milk
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Bring milk and vanilla to a simmer in small saucepan. Add chocolate and turn heat to low, whisking until melted and smooth. Cool sauce to room temperature.


For Pears:

1 bottle white wine, such as Viognier
3/4 cup sugar
Zest of 1/4 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 Bosc pears

Core the pears.

Place the white wine, water, sugar and vanilla and zest into a large saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to medium low and place the pears into the liquid, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes until the pears are tender but not mushy.

Remove the pears, stand them upright in a dish, and refrigerate.


To serve, scoop creme onto small dessert plates. Place pear upright over cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce.


Happy Eating,


Caitlin

Pan Seared Flat Iron Steak with Chimichurri

Every Thursday, there is a lovely farmer's market in Coolidge Corner, Brookline, MA. Now that my schedule is more flexible, I have delighted in visiting the various local vendors and purchasing local meats, cheese, bread as well as the traditional fruits and vegetables. I decided to make a nice, romantic meal for two last night featuring the market's products.




Last week I purchased a small log of aged goat cheese from Westfield Farm. I managed to eat it in under 24 hours : ) Thus, I decided it would be an appropriate choice for my meal. I bought a loaf of ciabatta from Clear Flour Bread, an amazing bakery in Brookline, to serve with the cheese and a bottle of dry red wine-a blend of malbec, cabernet sauvignon and merlot.




I made homemade chimichurri, both to marinade the steak and to use as a sauce for the cooked steaks.

To make the chimichurri:

1/4 cup minced cilantro
2 roasted piquillo peppers, diced finely
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin




I bought flat iron steak from River Rock Farm, that sells fresh beef at the farmer's market. Flat iron is a relatively new cut of beef, created from removing a very tough piece of gristle from an otherwise tender and flavorful cut of meat. River Rock Farm sells meat from steers raised in pastures, without the use of artificial growth hormones or feed additives. All meat is aged for 14-28 days for maximum taste and tenderness.




Using a fork, poke small holes throughout the steak, flip it and repeated the process. Use 1/2 of the chimichurri as a marinade for the steak, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours; remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.




To cook, preheat the oven to broil then lightly oil and heat up a cast iron pan with raised grilling edges over medium high heat. When the pan becomes hot, place steak in pan, cooking about 3 minutes on each side to sear. Place pan in oven about 5 inches from broiler and cook additional 5 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes on plate before slicing. Spoon chimichurri over sliced steak and enjoy!



YUM! The end result was delicious. I highly suggest buying local meat if you can, the flavor was rich and the meat unbelievably tender.