Location: My tiny kitchen
I have a weakness over girlie things – I like them and I find excuses to collect them. Luckily, I also happen to be a woman, as being one is my righteous excuse to watch chick flicks, listen to Sarah McLachlan, wear stilettos and just like about anything that comes in pink or in a heart shape. When we bought the KitchenAid stand mixer (he’s my ultimate baking toy!) I was disappointed that pink wasn’t an available colour for the model. To keep myself happy, I bought it in red because it’s the next colour closest to pink. Some of my friends must notice this weakness in me because from time to time, I would be lucky enough to receive some heart-shaped gifts. Last Christmas, my friend S and his family gave me a few heart-shaped baking trays. All of them are so cute that they have quickly become my favourite baking tools:
A sweet heart shape bundt pan. Not only it looks cute, it is a Nordicware and therefore it very sturdy. I like this bundt pan so much that when I first got it, I used it to bake 2 cakes within a few days.
A double-heart silicone brownie mold. This mold was new and interesting to me because it’s my first and only silicone mold. I made brownie using it once and I swear I will never bake anything in it again. The height of the mold’s centre is twice as tall as the edge. With the height difference, any cake baked in this mold either has a raw centre or an over-baked edge. Nevertheless, this mold makes the cutest looking pudding. The panna cotta in this recipe was made using this mold.
A set of 3 red heart-shape mixing bowls. They are still in plastic wrap because I like them too much to use them.
A couple Le Creuset ramekins, which J gave to me as souvenirs from her Seattle trip. I was thrilled when I saw them. It was love at first sight. I have been using them to make all kinds of pudding: panna cotta, almond jello, Japanese style black sesame jello etc.
And of course, a heart-shape brownie pan, which is the first member of my heart-shape collection.
This easy and simple panna cotta recipe belongs to the Italian cooking diva Giada De Laurentiis. Because ET and I don’t want to have panna cotta as dessert for a week, I cut her recipe by half and the panna cotta still turned out okay. The following is the full recipe and it makes 6 servings.
- 1 cup of whole milk
- 3 cups of whipping cream
- 6 sheets of gelatin
- 1 tbsp of sugar
- 1/3 cup of honey
- pinch of salt
1. Soak gelatin sheets in cold water until they soften, about 5 minutes. Drain the sheets and gently squeeze out the excessive water.
2. Put milk, cream, honey and sugar into a quart pan.
3. Heat the pan and stir often. When the liquid is just about to boil, turn off the heat.
4. Put the gelatin sheets into the hot liquid and stir until they are completely dissolve. Remember, never boil gelatin.
5. Pour the liquid into molds or cups. Once the liquid has cooled to room temperature, put the molds/cups in the fridge and let them set for at least 6 hours.
Because the silicone mold is so flexible, the panna cotta came out of it easily. The heart shape remained perfect and intact. I served it with blueberries and strawberries slices that were soaked in aged balsamic vinegar. Next time, I want to put in one or two vanilla beans when I warm up the milk and cream. Because there is no flavouring agent in this recipe, the vanilla flavour from the beans will really stand out in the panna cotta.
Okay, I guess I was understating my obsession over girlie things by calling it just a weakness . But so far, my collection on heart-shaped items has been limited to kitchen gadgets. To keep ET’s sanity in line, I have refrained myself from getting the heart shaped bed, chaise lounge or toilet seat. Although recently, I saw a pink Dyson vacuum that looks both cute and functional. The problem is, ET is the one who vacuums the house. I wonder if he would mind using a pink vacuum?
