Parmesan Cream

I found very similar recipes for this cream in both Italian and French cuisine books. They seemed rather simple to make, especially if you are familiar with the bain marie method, and looked very delicious. Both recipes called for almost the same ingredients although the Italian was richer because of the heavy whipping cream, and the French was richer in eggs but lighter on cream. Just by reading of all the nice ingredients of this recipe I imagined that it could taste really nice so recently, when I bought a big chunk of genuine Italian Parmesan, I thought it was good time to experiment with it.

I made my own version, which is a combination of both recipes and lighter than any of them. I cut on eggs and I also replaced the heavy whipping cream with a lighter cream. The dish came out very nice, delicate and almost fluffy. It was had a very appealing presentation as I made it in small ramekins, so it could be used as an elegant and tasty dinner starter.



Parmesan Cream

Ingredients:
1 nd 1/2 cup table cream,
2 tsp corn starch flour,
2 large organic eggs,
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese,
a pinch of grated nutmeg,
salt and pepper,
balsamic vinegar glaze for finish.

Preparation:
1. Put the cream in a medium pot. Mix the corn starch in a small bowl with two tbsps of water until smooth and add to the cream. Mix well and heat the mixture on a medium heat until it boils. Season with salt pepper and nutmeg.
2. Mix together eggs with Parmesan. Add a little bit of cream custard to the eggs and cheese and mix well. Pour the mixture to the pot with cream and stir until smooth.
3. Preheat oven to 300 F. Butter 6 small ramekins with butter and divide the cheese custard.
4. Place the ramekins in a baking form with higher walls and fill up with hot water up to the half of their height.



5. Bake 30 minutes until set.
6. Cool slightly and remove from ramekins on plates after loosening them first around with a knife.
7. Serve drizzled with balsamic vinegar glaze, baguettes and salad.

Spicy Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Cream or Soup

So far, I knew only one way of serving sweet potatoes the way I like them--roasted. I cut them in wedges, add a few garlic cloves, drizzle with a very good olive oil, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and fresh rosemary, and bake until slightly brown. Roasted, they become attractively crispy and lose some of the sweetness that, otherwise, I find overwhelming.

But since sweet potatoes are very healthy (rich in Beta-carotene and Vitamin A) I have always been looking for more good ideas on how to prepare them.

When I recently saw in a French magazine a recipe for a spicy sweet potato cream (velouté), I instantly decided to give it a try. Moreover, the recipe included goat cheese and in my refrigerator there was a log of goat cheese waiting to be used. I made some changes to the original recipe to make it less sweet and even more spicy. I think it worked very well--the cream was definitely savory and almost not sweet at all.

I admit this dish is very rich, not only owing to the sweet potatoes but also the generous amount of goat cheese. But, probably because of that, it is also so good. Served in small, testing dishes it can be a nice Thanksgiving party snack that I am sure everyone would enjoy. By adding extra broth you can turn it into a cream soup.

Spicy Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Cream

Ingredients:
1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes,

2 medium shallots,
3 oz goat cheese, at room temperature,
2-3 cups of vegetable or beef broth,
1 tsp harissa or cayenne pepper,
salt and black pepper,
1/4 cup chopped chives,
2 tbsp olive oil.

Preparation:
1. Heat the oil in a large heavy duty pot. Add chopped shallots and fry until transparent. Add potatoes cubes, mix and fry them for about 3 minutes.
2. Pour in 2-3 cups of broth, enough to cover the potatoes, and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes, until potatoes become soft.
3. Take the pot off the heat and using a hand blender make a smooth purée. Put the pot back on the medium heat, add half of the goat cheese and, stirring often, let the cheese melt in the purée.

4. Bring it to boil, let simmer for a minute, and turn off the heat. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
5. Put the other half of the goat cheese in a small bowl, add harissa or cayenne pepper and, using a fork, make a smooth paste.

6. Divide the potato cream among small serving dishes, top with a bit of goat cheese paste and chives. Serve warm.

Frozen Meringues and Berries Dessert

It is hard to let go this recipe as it belongs among my top three desserts--easy, impossibly indulging, and elegant. Probably, it is a dessert that I make most often, particularly as a finale to summer dinner parties. Also, it is a recipe for which my guests most often ask. I love it myself not only because I like meringues and can it them just dry, but also because it is a beautifully looking dessert and, even more importantly, because it can be made a long time ahead and stored for a month or so.

Although it is so simple, it is not easy to guess what is made from, and no one has ever got it one hundred percent right.

The idea for a meringue dessert came to me accidentally one summer, when after a dinner party I was left with some Pavlova reminds. Everyone knows that is not so good on the second day when meringues become soft, and even less attractive in presentation. So I decided to freeze it. The result was not bad but it gave me an idea how to improve it.

I started to experiment with it until one day I decided "that is it". It was perfect. To describe it, I would say that it is a fusion of Pavlova and Vacherin, but frozen. And if you like either, you will be loving this one too. This dessert is sweet but also refreshing because of the fresh fruits and the fruit sauce. Meringues are not overwhelmingly sweet as I add yogurt to cream, and I add no sugar at all, to the cream, just honey which when frozen turns into a delicate caramel-like brittle.

Sometimes to make it even more fancy I add a spoon of liqueur, like Grand Marnier, to it. If I am too lazy to make home-made meringues I buy them at a store; those from Trader Joe's are my favorite. As I mentioned, this dessert can be stored frozen for several weeks, but it needs to be placed in a tightly closed container, as it may catch some freezer aromas. I am having friends over for a grill dinner this weekend and guess what dessert I am going to serve? Of course, frozen meringues, which have been waiting in my freezer since last week.

Frozen Meringues and Berries Dessert
(Serves six)

Ingredients:
2 cups vanilla meringues,
1 cup Greek yogurt,
1 cup heavy whipping cream,
1/2 cup running honey,
1 tbsp Grand Marnier,
1 cup raspberries,
1/2 cup fresh blackberries,
1 tbsp sugar.

Preparation:
1. Crush meringues into smaller pieces.

2. Whip the heavy whipping cream until stiff.
3. Put yogurt into a large bowl, add the whipped cream and liqueur, if used, and mix gently.
4. Fold gently the meringues into the yogurt-cream mixture.
5. Drizzle everything with honey and fold it gently in--honey should be mixed cream but still visible, so do not mix it too hard.

6. Transfer everything to a medium-sized plastic container, preferably a big round one or six small ones and freeze for a minimum of 4 hours.
7. To make raspberry coulis, mix half a cup of raspberries with a tbsp of sugar and purée them with a hand blender.

Take the dessert from a freezer 15 minutes before serving. Take it out of the container on a serving plate (if it does not come out easily, dunk the bottom of the container in a hot water for a few seconds), pour the coulis all over it, and decorate with blackberries and raspberries. Cut like a cake and serve.

Chilled Lemon Possets--Three-Ingredients Refreshing Dessert

Summer encourages social events. Kids are out of school. They do not need to be in bed early. There is no need to rush in the morning. There are no after school activities. There is no after work traffic surge. It is a good time, although the weather is exceptionally hot this summer, for a no hassle deck barbecue. Perfect time for casual meetings with friends. Fresh vegetables are at their perfect peak arvest taste which comes out best in simple dishes. All you need is grilled meat, cold salad, a glass of beer or chilled Prosecco and a simple dessert. It is all about spending time with friends at a leisurely conversation.

In that relaxed mood I think about one of the simplest and surprising desserts from my recipe book. It is of English origin. Unfortunately, I have it in a hand-written copy and cannot give an exact source.

It is easy and perfect for such a laid back event. It requires three basic ingredients, which blend nicely into a surprisingly delicious dessert. It can, or rather should, be made a day ahead.

Judge for yourself.



Chilled Lemon Possets

Ingredients:
2 lemons,
3 cups extra heavy cream,
11/4 cup sugar.

Preparation:
1. Stir together cream and sugar and bring it to a boil.
2. Boil for 3 minutes carefully as it may spill; stir continuously.
3. Take off the burner and pour in all the lemon juice.
4. Stir again.
4. Cool down the mixture.
5. Stir one more time and finally divide between 6 to 8 small ramekins; this desert is very sweet and tart at the same time so even a small amount can be satisfying.
6. Chill in a refrigerator for a minimum 4 hours, preferably over night.
7. Before serving decorate with grated lemon peel and biscuits.