Panna Cotta

So I had Book Club at my house this month. I had chose the book "The Miracles of Santo Fico" by DL Smith. So I decided to bake Italian based food.

I made Foccacia with olive oil, pepper and balsamic vinegar. I got this recipe from Dad~ baker & Chef. I've made this recipe before with great results but unfortunately this time I didn't use big enough pans, so they were very thick and the centers were WAY too doughy... They still tasted great, but I felt bad for my guests. Not one of them said anything and I didn't notice until later.

I also made my favorite bread sticks with Homemade Alfredo for dipping. I love these bread sticks. I got the recipe years ago from a good friend and make them all the time. My kids can eat an entire batch in one night.

I also made some Coconut pecan bread, that while it isn't Italian itself is similar to an Italian cake recipe I like, but the bread has a better success rate. I had Italian Cream cheese frosting to put with it but TOTALLY spaced it and it sat on my counter the whole evening instead of going out on the table.

And finally the recipe I've been wanting to make since September. Coconut Panna Cotta. Of course the afternoon of book club I had grand plans of making it to the grocery store, getting fresh berries and making my fruit coulis. But did that happen? No... So the panna cotta was by itself. It had a nice flavor, subtle, sweet, but not overly grand... after the event I tried it with some chocolate sauce and a fruit syrup, but they were totally wrong and had a bad effect. In fact I would say that this is one dessert that was not made better by chocolate.

The next day I got the chance to get some Blackberries and made the Coulis. AHHHHHH..... What a HUGE difference. It was perfection, a WONDERFUL balance, a great dessert. Easy to make and I plan on doing it again soon. I'm so glad I had leftovers...

On the Fifth day of Christmas...

I made Pumpkin Chocolate chip muffins. And I started tomorrow's goodie (It's a 2 part recipe).

Focaccia

So I have always loved the bread at the Macaroni Grill and have been looking for a similar recipe for ages. And then I stumbled across this recipe at Dad~baker&chef, it sounded just right and so I tried it! (sorry about the B&W pictures, I let my older son take some shots of the baby in B&W and forgot to switch it back!)

Focaccia

makes one 8" loaf

1 cup tepid water

1 tsp dry yeast

1 tsp ground sea salt

2 cups flour

olive oil

toppings: coarse sea salt, rosemary, olives...really anything

In a large bowl, dissolve the 1 tsp of instant yeast in 1 cup of tepid water. Add 1 cup of flour and 1 tsp of salt. Stir for a few minutes. Add another cup of flour and mix. Stir for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside in a warm spot to proof. The dough will rise nicely. Pour dough into an 8" cake pan well coated with olive oil. Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle with preferred topping. Bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated 230C oven.

As Dharm suggested I used extra water. "To get the right consistency, as it is supposed to be soft, sticky and almost liquid, I added another 1/4 cup of water." And since it turned out great I'm assuming it was the right thing to do. I might try to NOT add the extra water next time and see how it works.

I undercooked the bread a bit, I'm still figuring out my new oven and it had a nice crust, but was a bit too soft inside still. I pulled it out after 13 mins, so I think 2-4 more mins would have been perfect. I let my older 2 "help" and they each oiled their own pans and picked there own toppings. We put the course salt on both, and one choose grated Parmesan and the other choose Rosemary and basil.

The loafs were great! It was an incredibly easy recipe (just one bowl dirty, with one measuring cup and rubber spatula) with wonderful results. We finished one loaf last night and saved the other for tonight, so I'll update on how well it is the next day! And of course we served our with olive oil, fresh pepper and my FAVORITE balsamic vinegar (if you've never had it ask for it next time you go to the Macaroni Grill!)