Saturday, January 9, 2010

Winter Tea Party


Well, now I know. Apparently by January it's no longer apple cider season. I was pretty disappointed in the only cider I could find, but better than nothing. And hopefully the cider was overshadowed by the meringue mushrooms, my favorite part ;) Buon anno! (Two month count down!)



Mulled Cider
1 gallon cider (not apple juice)
3 T orange juice concentrate
1/4 c brown sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 T cloves

Steep the cider with the other ingredients for an hour, or to taste.


Caramel Panna Cotta
Panna Cotta (from David Lebovitz)
4 cups (1l) heavy cream (or half-and-half)
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 packets powdered gelatin (about 4 1/2 teaspoons)
6 tablespoons (90ml) cold water


1. Heat the heavy cream and sugar in a saucepan or microwave. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

2.Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium-sized bowl and let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Pour the very warm Panna Cotta mixture over the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

4. Divide the Panna Cotta mixture into the prepared cups, then chill them until firm, which will take at least two hours but I let them stand at least four hours.

Caramel
180 grams heavy cream
1/2 t vanilla
45 grams sugar
60 grams egg yolks

Bring the cream and the vanilla to a boil. Reserve.

In the meantime, make a dry caramel with the sugar. Deglaze the cooked sugar with the heated cream. Be careful because it will bubble over if all the cream is added at once. Whisk so all crystalized sugar has dissolved. Pour this caramel over the egg yolks and whisk. Return this to the pan and cook for 1 minute.

Meringue Mushrooms from Martha Stewart

7 comments:

amlamonte said...

eek! those mushrooms are SO CUTE! and the panna cotta looks lovely!

Vee said...

I've probably said this before but your photography (either camera or style) is so catching now.
Everything Looks delicious!
Are these for tea parties you've been catering, or just for funsies?

WonderKitty said...

The mushrooms were amazing! And so cute. And the cider was great too. Thanks for hauling all that up to Ogden!

amlamonte said...

oo i just noticed you put my blog on your list of links! i am pleased and flattered :)

Anita said...

The mushrooms are super cute! The panna cotta sounds like a beautiful combination.

Asha @ FSK said...

what a spread!!! Love the mushrooms!!! they are adorable..

billyborden423 said...

Thanks for sharing such an insightful post. This post really contains amazing stuff that I never read. I appreciate you for writing such an informational post.