Honey and Yogurt Panna Cotta

 Continuing the panna cotta theme, the tangy flavor of this variation comes from plain yogurt with a touch of honey to sweeten. A panna cotta is one of the easiest desserts to make for company as it can be made ahead, in fact, most have to be in order for the gelatin to set up. As the panna cotta doesn't need baking, you can use any food safe ramekin, cup or bowl in which to serve the dessert. So bring out your favorite dish to match the occasion.  I have chosen a favorite piece in my pottery collection which holds exactly 4 cups and to me matches the rustic feel of the block of honeycomb.

Honey Yogurt Panna Cotta

Recipe from Kitchen Garden Cookbook

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup cold whole milk or 1/4 cup 2% and 1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup cold heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup plain yogurt, 2% fat

1/4 cup honey, plus more for serving, if desired

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold milk and let stand for 10 minutes or until gelatin softens.

While the gelatin softens, in a bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup of the heavy cream and the yogurt of choice. Blend well. In a heavy saucepan, combine the remaining cream and honey and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the gelatin mixture and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Stir into the yogurt. Pour the mixture into a 4 cup glass or bowl or in individual bowls. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Drizzle on the extra honey or top with seasonal fruit. Serves 4.

Honeycomb 

The above iPhone photo is my contribution to Black and White Wednesday #83, hosted this week by Shruthi of Food and Clicks. Special thanks to Cinzia of Cindy Star Blog our lovely admin having been chosen by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, BWW's lovely brainchild.

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Please do not use images or text without my permission. 

Cinnamon Basil Panna Cotta with Berries

The potted herb garden is beginning to thrive now after a few snaps of cold weather and the four citrus trees are also beginning to show signs of blooming. I love planting herbs in a garden, but where I live the deer roam and eat nearly everything young and tender, even thorny stems of a citrus tree.

Of all the basil varieties, one of my favorites is the cinnamon basil plant. Cinnamon basil has the same chemical as cinnamon bark, hence the name. A bit cold sensitive, this herb is best started indoors. Cinnamon basil is a great companion plant for tomatoes as it keeps aphids and mites away. I can't wait  to see the herb produce lovely purplish-pink flowers which look lovely in an herbal bouquet as well as   using the leaves to make a cinnamon basil syrup. The syrup is not only used to macerate the berries, but a couple of tablespoons are used to soften the unflavored gelatin for the panna cotta.

Since this panna cotta is not baked as in a creme brûlée or a flan, I was excited that I could use part of my collection of cups and saucers that I pick up at estate sales or thrift shops. I have a few matching cups and saucers, but I like to mix and match only similar colors and different shape cups when I use them in my food photography or still life projects. Some are chipped or cracked, but as long as they are intact and food safe, I have no problem with the slight imperfections. It means they were lovingly used.

Cinnamon Basil Panna Cotta
with Blackberries and Raspberries
(Serves 6)

For the Panna Cotta-

2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

2 tablespoons cinnamon basil syrup (recipe follows)

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup half and half
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt

For Berries-

1 cup fresh blackberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
Cinnamon basil syrup to taste
1/2 lime, juiced
Cinnamon basil leaves for garnish

Preparation

Combine unflavored gelatin and cinnamon basil syrup. Let sit about 10 minutes until softened. In a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, half and half and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Heat until small bubbles appear around the sides of the pan. Remove from heat-add softened gelatin. Stir until gelatin has been incorporated into the cream.

Evenly distribute between vessels of choice. Refrigerate at least four hours or overnight. Top with berries in syrup, as desired.

Cinnamon Basil Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

5 sprigs cinnamon basil, gently rinsed and dried

Bring water and sugar to boil over high heat. Whisk until sugar has dissolved. Add cinnamon basil-boil for 60 seconds. Remove from heat and let steep for about 30 minutes. Remove herbs from syrup. Strain into a bottle. Store covered in the refrigerator. Keeps almost indefinitely!

This is my contribution to  Weekend Herb Blogging #382,  hosted this week by Elena of Zibaldone Culinario Weekend Herb Blogging is now managed by Haalo of Cook ( Almost) Anything Once having taken over the reins from its creator, Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen.

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Please do not use images or text without my permission. 

Black and White Wednesday #81-The Gallery

Welcome to the 81st edition of Black and White Wednesday. As always, I am thrilled to host this monochromatic gallery of culinary images photographed by ardent photographers in the world of food blogging. If you need more information about this blog event and would like to join in, please read this post. Our gallery grows every week! 

Turbaned Onions
Priya-The Humpty Dumpty Kitchen

Green Peas
Shilpa-Yummilicious Food

A Good Cuppa and a Good Book
Rosa-Rosa's Yummy Yums

Scallion and Red Bell Pepper Paratha
Usha-Sizzling Indian Recipes

Green Onion and Red Bell Pepper Paratha
Usha-Sizzling Indian Recipes

Ready to Eat
Shruti-Part Time Chef

Homemade Bread

Cinzia-Cindy Star Blog

Multi-Seed Buttermilk Rolls

Aparna-My Diverse Kitchen

Filter Coffee

Tanusree-Ma Niche

Sage

Haalo-Cook Almost Anything

Lorighittas (Traditional Pasta from Sardinia)

Simona-Briciole

Baking Experiments

Meena-Encourage Spice

HEY!

Elizabeth-Blog From Our Kitchen

Herb Garden in Pots

Lynne-Cafe Lynnylu

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Please do not use images or text without my permission.

Black and White Wednesday #81 Announcement

The month of May is nearly here and I have the pleasure of hosting BWW #81 on the first day of the month! I would love to have your  black and white images of culinary nature to show in my gallery on Wednesday. If you are new to this very cool event, below is an excerpt from our lovely and talented admin, Cinzia of CindyStar Blog. Thanks to the also lovely and talented Susan who created this group back in 2011.

"Rules are simple and unchanged:

- Your clicks have to be  anything of a culinary nature or show anything related to food: an ingredient, a kitchentool, something in your kitchen or in a restaurant,  anything about food preparation/presentation/consumption, whatever your eyes can catch as a food speach.

- You can shoot either in b/w mode or in color, then process in b/w. You can use any effect you like but keeping the image in a monochrome/grayscale, with Sepia and Cyanotype tones allowed. No color details allowed.

- Approximate sizes of your pictures shoud be portrait/500 wide & 700 long - landscape/700 wide & 500 long - or 600 square.

- No need of a recipe, nor a story nor a location (but they are welcome if you like), simply a title for the picture is required.

- You have to post your photograph within the Tuesday of the week going on, so the hostess will be ready to blog about the Gallery on Wednesday (but latecomers might be accepted to the hostess' discretion). For those who use Twitter, Susan created a hashtag (#BWFood) to make it easier to find related conversations.

- You have to mention Black and White Wednesday in your post and link to this announcement and to the hostess' blog. Use of the logo is optional.

-  We also have a group on Flickr if you'd like to join and share your pics."

Herb Garden in Pot

Please send an email with your image sized  as stated above along with the link to your post and to this announcement to lynnylu AT gmail DOT com by 8 am Wednesday, May 1, 2013. I will post the gallery later that day. Thanks and looking forward to seeing all your wonderful images!

ALL CONTENT © CAFE LYNNYLU

Please do not use images or text without my permission. 

Torcettini di St Vincent-We Knead to Bake

Although these puffy sugar coated yeasted cookies would be delicious with the espresso shown in the photo below, I would love to make them again and serve an Italian dessert wine such as bubbly Asti or a Moscato. In fact, when I go to Italy this summer, I will remember to stop at a cafe and do just that! It is said the cookie origin came about by accident when a grissini baker had some dough left over to which he added butter. Instead of shaping them as long slender sticks, he rolled them in sugar and shaped them in a loop. 

Torcettini was the baking challenge for April in our Facebook group, We Knead to Bake. Aparna, creator and admin of the group chose Torcettini di St. Vincent, a diversion from the yeasted breads we have been making for the last four months. Aparna gives step-by-step instructions with photos along with the recipe on the above link.  The cookies were fun to make, but are best eaten the day they are made as if covered overnight, the cookies soften. I would consider either trying to halve this recipe or invite your friends over for coffee, tea or wine and making a  party of it. To learn more about shaping the torcettini, this video is helpful.Torcettini di St Vincent

Torcettini di St Vincent
Original Recipe from A Baker's Tour

• 1/2 cup warm water, about 110° F
• 1-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1 teaspoon instant yeast)
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (if making chocolate torcettini)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lime/lemon zest (replace with orange zest for the chocolate version) I used lemon zest and a few drops of lemon bitters for the white version and 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder for the chocolate version
• 40 grams unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• about 1/3 cup sugar for rolling the cookies

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside.
2. Put the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor (or a large bowl if kneading by hand).Pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter pieces and pulse until the butter is well-mixed and the flour-butter mixture looks powdery.
3. If making the chocolate torcettini, remove 2 tablespoons of the flour and add the cocoa powder. Omit the lemon zest/anise and add the optional 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder with the flour.
4. Add the yeast-water mixture and pulse until it all comes together as a ball. Do not over process or knead. Place the ball of dough in an oiled bowl, turning it so it is well-coated with the oil. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise quite a bit. The dough does not really double in volume, but it should look puffy after about an hour or so. When you pinch off a bit from the top you can see the interior looking a bit like honeycomb. Press down the dough and deflate it, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 24.
5. When read to make the cookies, take the dough out an dlightly roll it out into approximately 6-inch squares. If the dough feels sticky, scatter a little sugar on it. Using a pizza wheel, cut the dough into four strips of equal width. Cut each strip into 6 equal pieces by cutting across, maing a total of 24 equal pieces. It's easier to have 24 equal pieces rather than trying to pinch off bits of dough.
6. Roll each piece into a pencil thick rope about 5 inches long. Sprinkle a little sugar on your work surface and roll the rope in it so the sugar crusts the dough uniformly. Form the rope into sloop crossing it over before the ends
7. Place the torcettini on parchment lined baking sheets, leaving 1-1/2 inches between them. Leave them to slightly rise/puff for about 20 minutes.
8. Bake them at 325°F for about 25 minutes until they are a nice golden brown. Cool completely on a rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

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Please do not use images or text without my permission. 

Plum Berry Cobbler

If there's one thing I love more than photographing plums, it's finding various ways of preparing this luscious purple stone fruit. Purple often signifies royalty and is the color frequently worn by kings and queens. The plums I bought may be the red amber variety or there could have been a mix of varieties as they were bought in bulk. Not only do we love plums, but fresh berries are always in my refrigerator to top yogurt, ice cream and to use in cobblers as they were in this recipe. The original recipe comes from the 1990 dessert cookbook, The Wooden Spoon Dessert Book. Using plums, but substituting an equal amount of raspberries and blueberries for the peaches, I had a great flavor combo going on. I was pleased with the short crust pie dough that covered the cobbler. Many pie dough recipes use either all butter, a mix of butter and shortening or for a very flaky and crisp pie dough, all shortening. 

When I make this cobbler again, I will add a dollop of whipped cream,  pour over a creme anglaise or top with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. I think even plain yogurt would be delicious and would cut down on the sweet taste of the cobbler.

Plum Berry Cobbler
Makes about 8 servings

• 3 cups pitted, sliced plums
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 recipe pie dough (recipe follows)
• 1 tablespoon butter for dotting on the cobbler before baking
• cinnamon sugar, if desired

1. In a large bowl, combine the plums and berries. In a small bowl mix together the sugar, flour, salt and ground cinnamon. Add to fruit and toss gently. Place in a 2 quart ovenproof casserole.  Set aside. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough to fit the top of the casserole. Cut several vents in the dough. Place over the fruit. Do not seal to the edges of the pan. Bake  for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling hot and the crust is golden brown.

Short Crust Pie Dough

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) shortening, very cold and cut into pieces
• 3-4 tablespoon ice cold water

1. In the bowl of a food processor, place the flour and salt. Pulse briefly to combine.  Sprinkle the cold shortening around the flour. Using short pulses, incorporate into the flour. The texture should look like that of coarse cornmeal, but there will be some larger pieces throughout. 
2. Add a tablespoon of  ice cold water and pulse, then adding more tablespoons of water. Use only enough water to bring the dough together. 
3. Remove dough from machine. Shape the dough into a ball and flatter slightly. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour, or up 1 day. If very cold, let sit a few minutes before rolling it out. Follow instructions above for rolling out the dough to fit the casserole.

The above black and white image is my contribution to Black and White Wednesday #80, this week hosted by Anusha of Tomato Blues. As most of us who contribute to Black and White Wednesday know the history, for those of you who are reading this for the first time, BWW was created by the very talented food and lifestyle photographer, Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. This very popular blog event is now being managed by also very talented food and lifestyle photographer, Cinzia of  CindyStar Blog .

ALL CONTENT © CAFE LYNNYLU

Please do not use images or text without my permission. 

Marinated Goat Cheese

Original Recipe-Saveur

Creamy goat cheese bathed in olive oil and flavored with fresh thyme, bay leaves, garlic and mixed peppercorns turns a crusty piece of country wheat bread into an elegant appetizer perfect with a glass of crisp white wine or a young red wine. This tangy cheese reminds me of cream cheese, has a lower fat content, but still the silky feel of a higher fat soft cheese. Goat cheese has been made for centuries in the Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and African countries where goats survive far better than cows in mountainous and harsh terrains. When we think of goat cheese, (or is it goats cheese, goat's cheese or goats' cheese?), we usually think of France, in fact the French word for goat is  Chèvre and has become a generic term for goat cheese.

And it's to France we go on our culinary journey through the European Community Culinary ABC. E is for Escargot and E is also for Elena of Zibaldone Culinario who prepares for us an Escargot Bourguignon and a lovely tour of France with beautiful photos. However, Elena cooks not only the escargot dish, but numerous other French dishes well worth a look. 

Slices of  Crusty Wheat Bread Slathered with Creamy Marinated Goat Cheese

Marinated Goat Cheese Logs

This recipe is so simple, you will wonder why you have never made it before. Not only can you use the marinated goat cheese as a spread for bread, but it can be crumbled over salads, made into a salad dressing, as a pizza topping, or incorporated into a pasta dish.

Marinated Goat Cheese

• 4-2 ounce fresh goat cheese logs, or 4-ounce logs, cut in half
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2 tablespoons mixed peppercorns

In a sterilized wide mouth jar, carefully place the goat cheese logs. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the logs completely. Tuck in the bay leaves, bay leaves, fresh thyme and peppercorns. Cover the jar.

Cover and marinate the cheese logs in the refrigerator for 2 days or up to a week. Bring to room temperature before serving. Serves 2-4 generously.

A few summers ago, I had the opportunity to visit Aix-en-Provence and stayed in a lovely French Country private home. Below are some iPhone photos of the house and its environs. While there, we shopped the markets for fresh vegetables, meats and seafood as well as flowers, crafts and other things French. We decided to use train travel as our main means of traveling from one city or village to another. It was a lovely experience that I would love to do again.

Holiday House in Aix-en-Provence

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Please do not use images or text without my permission.