Dalmatian panna cotta and 'dog' bone cookies- Halloween

We kept up with tradition and this year celebrated Halloween once again at our Irish friends house. And I was, once again, elected to cater for dessert. We decided to add an element of fun and do fancy dress. I decided go as Cruella de Vil and to follow the theme down through the dessert. I already had my inspiration: a few weeks ago I had participated in an Italian Workshop, hosted by Victor Russo. Passione Italia. The dessert was Panna cotta.
It is a traditional Italian dessert, originating from Piemonte (North Italy) but eaten all over Italy. Panna cotta is Italian for 'cooked cream'. It is made from simmering cream and sugar, mixing in gelatine and allowing to cool until set. It is often served with a fruit sauce or topping. It is a very easy dessert with few ingredients. The key to making a good Panna cotta is getting the consistency just right. We are aiming for a soft velvety textured dessert with a slight wobble but certainly not rubbery! It should melt in your mouth but hold its form when taken out of its mould. The gelatine demands good mixing for a smooth even texture.
I decided to opt for Dalmatian panna cotta with dog bone cookies. It is a very simple dish to make especially if you are catering for a large group of people. I made 24 individual desserts.
Recipe
I heated 1.5 litre cream with 120gr sugar to simmering point and stirred until the sugar was dissolved. I scraped out the seeds from 2 vanilla pods. (by slicing it lengthwise and using a knife to run along and collect the beans/seeds)

Don't be alarmed by the red chopping board- I don't use this one for meat!
You could of course use vanilla essence. I then added the pods and seeds to the cream. In the meantime I took 10 gelatine sheets (one extra than the original recipe, see below, to ensure speedy setting) and soaked them for around 5-10 minutes in a little cold milk (enough to cover them) halfway though the time I turned them around ensuring they were completely submerged.
I mixed the cream mixture to disperse the seeds evenly. I used a whisk but didn't 'whisk' as such but just stirred. I turned the heat off and allowed it to cool slightly.
I squeezed the gelatine sheets one for one and added them to the vanilla cream stirring thoroughly each time until all the gelatine was used. I discarded the milk.
Unfortunately I was running late. The panna cotta needs 5 hours in the refrigerator and it was 15:00! I therefore decided to cheat and speeded up the cooling process by placing the pan over ice cold water, stirring frequently. When it was beginning to thicken I divided the mixture into individual glass/plastic pots/cups. I made 24. Because I didn't have any room in my refrigerator and because of time pressure I decided to place the panna cotta in the top of my chest freezer hoping this wouldn't have any adverse effects on the setting process (formation of crystals or such) I needn't have worried (phew!) the panna cotta was perfectly set in time for the party. Lastly I sprinkled currants on the desserts as a finishing touch, completing the Dalmatian panna cotta.

I used the same recipe as last Halloween to make the dog bone cookies. Last year we had severed fingers.
Dog bone cookies
225gr butter, softened
110gr caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp almond essence
1 tsp vanilla essence
275gr plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
a good pinch salt

Beat butter, sugar, egg, almond essence and vanilla essence. I use the Magimix. Beat in flour, baking powder, and salt. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (I put mine in the freezer for a short while). Working with a quarter of the dough at one time (keeping the remainder cool) shape the cookies. Use some flour on your fingers and take a small piece and make a roll, making cuts with scissors in each end. Form the ends into bone shapes and place on a baking sheet with baking paper. Bake in an oven 160°C. for about 20 minutes. They should stay as white as possible. I made 42.

We served the panna cotta with a bone in the cups but the traditional way is to 'turn' them out onto a flat plate. You need to loosen the edge carefully with a knife and turn them upside down and they should pop out. Decorate as desired. You could serve with a fruit coulis or a drizzle of Crema di Balsamico. I actually intended to make a wine sauce but had run out of time!


Here is the original recipe:
Panna cotta
0, 5L cream
40 gr icing sugar
3 sheets gelatine
1 vanilla pod

Heat the cream with the sugar and cut open the vanilla pod and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes to draw out the flavour.
Soak the gelatine for about 5 minutes in a little cold milk.
Squeeze the gelatine and stir well into the vanilla cream (heat is switched off!). Allow the vanilla cream to cool stirring frequently. Pour the cream into the vanilla pudding molds and allow to cool. Refrigerate for about 5 hours. Serve the panna cotta with balsamic sauce and the wine sauce and three of jams in the range of Passione Italia, Katwijk (organic pears from Tuscany jam, peach jam and strawberry jam. Also vailable from his webwinkel.
Buon appetito