Pomma-Panna Cotta

Pomma-Panna Cotta - ButterYum

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  On to the New Year!

Our family typically stays in on New Year's Eve.  We enjoy a variety of yummy treats and watch the ball drop in Times Square from the comfort of our home.  

Whether you're entertaining guests, or enjoying a quiet night in, this pomegranate topped panna cotta is sure to please. We'll enjoy this dessert one last time before we start what Hubby calls our "Mass Reduction Plan" on Jan 1.  Don't be fooled by the impressive presentation - this recipe is decievingly simple to prepare.  Each layer needs to chill for 3 hours, so plan accordingly. 

Happy New Year!



Pomma-Panna Cotta

serves 6-8

Panna Cotta Layer:

2 tablespoons water

1 1/4 teaspoon gelatin

2 cups heavy cream

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

To make panna cotta layer:

In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water and allow the gelatin to soften for 10 minutes.  In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat milk, cream, and sugar together just until it starts to boil.  Remove from heat and add the softened gelatin mixture; stir until completely dissolved.  Stir in vanilla and distribute evenly into serving dishes.  Chill for 3 hours before making the pomegranate layer.

Pomegranate Layer:

1 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup boiling water

1 cup pomegranate juice

1 teaspoon sugar

fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish

To make pomegranate layer:

Bring water to a boil.  Add gelatin and sugar; stir to dissolve completely. Add pomegranate juice.  Cool mixture for 15 minutes before pouring on top of panna cotta layer.  Chill for another 3 hours.  Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds and serve.

Note: If using bottled pomegranate juice, don't shake the bottle - the sediment that settles at the bottom of the bottle can make the juice cloudy.  Also, don't be tempted to unmold this panna cotta recipe - it's very soft and is supposed to be served in a pretty glass.

Totally Random Thought Thursday - #6

Dear Santa - For Christmas this year I'd like to solve all the world's problems.  I realize this request is unreasonable, so I'm willing to settle for a live-in maid instead.

***Glitter*** -- I love the look of it this time of year, but I don't want to touch it, and I most certainly don't want it to touch me.  Nothing worse than finding stray glitter on your face.  Note to self - no matter what, do not, I repeat, DO NOT purchase the pretty box of glitter accented xmas cards next year!  (what in the world was I thinking?)

More vehicles decorated for Christmas please.


Has anyone noticed recently how some of the "bell ringers" seem to be a little more questionable looking?  Maybe it's just me.  Don't get me wrong - I always drop a little something in the bucket, and I've volunteered to do it a few times so I know it's not fun to stand out in the cold freezing your butt off for hours ringing that bell until your arms are numb, gagging on exhaust fumes and smiling at grouchy shoppers who refuse to smile back.  Okay, now I feel guilty - never mind.

I don't mind homeowners who decorate their houses and yards with enough Christmas lights to land a plane, but someone must put an end to people's obsessions with filling their yards full of giant tacky blow-up plastic Christmas things. 

Does a big red surprise blemish on the tip of my nose count as festive Christmas attire?

Here's wishing everyone a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

Tiny Gingerbread Cake Houses - Redux

Nordic Ware Snowy Village Cakelet Pan - ButterYum

Remember these cute little gingerbread cake houses from last year?  They were so much fun to make.  I was hoping to be able to find time to remake them before Christmas (and get some better photos), but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.  At any rate, the pan is the Snowy Village Cakelet Pan (available only through Williams-Sonoma), and they happen to be on sale for 50% Off at the moment.  I don't get anything from WS for sharing this info, but I had to tell you about the great discount.  I know there were a lot of people who couldn't get it last year because it was so popular.


Here's wishing you all a Merry and Blessed Christmas.

Totally Random Thought Thursday - #5

LED Christmas lights are completely obnoxious. 

You mean to tell me I've been sitting here freezing my toes off for an hour and my slippers have been on the floor next to me the whole time?!!!!

We had our first dusting of snow last week, but today we're expecting some actual accumulation - a whopping 1-3 inches, which means the schools around here are either closed or have early dismissal.  No ice, no freezing rain, no wind, no sub-zero temps, yet people panic at the thought of snow.  In an hour you won't be able to buy a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread. 

I dare you to take a look at the underside of your stove top's ventilation hood.  No need to share what you find (Lori - you'll have to wait until your house is a few years old).

I dropped a brand new container of coconut oil on my kitchen counter, breaking the plastic lid in the process.  I called the company to see if they could send me a replacement lid.  The customer service rep laughed and said, "never heard that one before".  She laughed even harder when I told her this was the 2nd lid I've broken that way.  I guess I should find a new location to store the coconut oil.

Would someone please explain to me what a swag buck is.

Am I the only one who dislikes when the word "sexy" is used to describe food?

We love eggnog, but I refuse to pay $8 a gallon for it.  I will however pay $4 for a half gallon.  I know, it makes no sense, but it's true.

Where in the world did the grocery store hide the canned pumpkin this time (that one's for you Lynn!)

December 15, 2010 - ButterYum

Recipe Review - Financier Style Vanilla Bean Pound Cakes

Financier Style Vanilla Bean Pound Cakes from Rose's Heavenly Cakes - ButterYum

 Moist and addictive, these little two-bite pound cakes are delicious and very easy to put together, but there were a couple of things about the recipe that puzzled me.  First, the recipe calls for 3/8 teaspoon of baking powder - such an odd amount.  Second, the recipe is scaled to make 10 financiers, but the financier mold only makes 9 cakes.  Rather than throw the extra batter away, I divided the batter into 9 portions instead of 10, which caused the little cakes to dome up a bit above the top of the mold, so I cut the domed tops off and turned the little cakes upside down.  Overall, we liked the flavor and texture, and really appreciated the moistness compared to last weeks slightly dry chocolate velvet fudge cake.

Most of the recipes featured by The Heavenly Cake Bakers are not shared online, but they can be found in the book Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum.  

PS - I tried to post a photo of the silicone financier pan, but I couldn't get it to post right side up.  You can see it on this Baby Chocolate Oblivions post if you're interested.

Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches with Onion Butter

Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches with Onion Butter - ButterYum

Who's interested in a guaranteed crowd-pleasing, drippy, cheesy, delicious hot sandwich recipe?

(Anyone? ...Anyone?)

Onion Butter Mustard Spread - ButterYum

The thought of hot ham and cheese sandwiches is pretty awesome, but add this amazing onion butter concoction and wow, they'll knock your sock off.  You can use any bread, ham, and melting cheese you like, so why not give them a try.

Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches with Onion Butter
makes 16 dinner roll or 8 kaiser roll sandwiches - recipe doubles well

8 large or 16 small rolls
1/2 pound ham, any
1/2 pound cheese, any that melts well

Onion Butter:
8 tablespoons salted butter (yes, salted)
1/2 cup finely minced onion
3 tablespoons prepared mustard (dijon, spicy brown, grainy... ooooh)
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

To make the onion butter, combine ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat gently just until the butter is melted and all the ingredients are well combined.  Cool to a spreadable consistency.

To prepare sandwiches, place roll bottoms, cut side up on a sheet pan.  Spread 1/2 the onion butter evenly onto the halves, top with 1/2 the cheese, next add all the ham, now add remaining cheese, and end with the rest of the onion butter.  Replace roll tops, cover pan with foil, and heat in a 300F oven for 10-15 minutes until the sandwiches are heated through and the cheese melts.

Note:  Sandwiches can be assembled up to 2 days in advance, but store them in an airtight container to control the smell of raw onions in your fridge.

Recipe Review - Chocolate Velvet Fudge Cake

Chocolate Velvet Fudge Cake from Rose's Heavenly Cakes - ButterYum

I needed a quick and easy chocolate cake recipe to bring to a gathering yesterday, and this week's Heavenly Cake Baker's selection fit the bill.  This is a very simple bundt cake to prepare - mixed in mere minutes.  Overall, the texture was lovely and the flavor was good, although a bit on the dry side if eaten alone - easily fixed with a generous dollop of Morello Cherry Whipped Cream (recipe below).

The recipe calls for a silicone bundt cake pan, but others used traditional bundt pans with success.  The directions also specified spraying the pan with baking spray, which usually enables the cake to release perfectly, but...

I didn't get so lucky.  Also, my cake batter was completely mixed and lump free when I poured it into the pan, but if you look closely, you can see the finished cake had a modeled appearance.

Nothing a sprinkling of powdered sugar couldn't fix.

I probably won't be making this recipe again, but only because Rose has so many more chocolate cake recipes to choose from that are phenomenal.  If, however, you're in a huge hurry and don't have the time to invest in one of her more complicated cakes, go ahead and give this one a try.

Most of the recipes featured by The Heavenly Cake Bakers are not shared online, but they can be found in the book Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum.  

Morello Cherry Whipped Cream

24 ounce jar of Dark Cherry Morello Cherries in Light Syrup (Trader Joe's), juice reserved

1/2 - 1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 tablespoon arrowroot 

2 cups heavy cream, whipped

Drain cherries from their light syrup, reserve cherries and put the light syrup and 1/2 cup sugar in a med sauce pan; reduce the syrup to half it's original volume. Whisk in arrowroot until thickened.  Remove from heat and add reserved cherries and almond extract; puree with an immersion blender to desired chunkiness (blender or food processor may also be used).  Refrigerate or chill over an ice bath before folding into whipped cream.

Sloppy Joe Sandwiches

Sloppy Joe Sandwiches - ButterYum

This recipe comes straight from my Mother-in-law's Central Pennsylvania recipe file.  Folks living in that area frequently refer to ground beef as "Hamburg".  I don't know why they do that, but my sister and I have always been tempted to say, "The word is hamburGER - Hamburg is a city in Germany!!!!".  Then again, Central Pennsylvania is overflowing with Pennsylvania Dutch (German), so maybe they're right.

At any rate, this is a classic recipe that's easy to throw together on a busy weeknight, especially if you have cooked ground beef or turkey in the freezer.  I brown 5-10 pounds at a time, in small batches.  For every pound of ground beef or turkey, I start off by sauteing 1 chopped onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic in a bit of olive oil; add the ground meat and kosher salt and pepper to taste.  I drain, cool, and divide into 1 pound portions in freezer safe containers - great for quick meals like these sloppy joes, meat sauce, lasagna, soup, nachos, tacos, etc.

Sloppy Joe Sandwiches
makes 4-6

1 pound cooked and seasoned ground beef or turkey
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons chili sauce
2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon celery seeds

Combine ingredients in a medium, heavy bottomed sauce pan.  Heat to desired temp; stirring occasionally.  Serve on hamburger buns.

Totally Random Thought Thursday - #4

The girls and I recently witnessed the most remarkable event - 4 male and 2 female cardinals fluttering around one of the windows for several minutes while we were standing right there, just inches away.  We were afraid to breathe, but wow, what a show.

Dear laundry detergent executive who approved the commercial with the mom who wears her daughter's shirt for a night out on the town, stains it, and then lies to her daughter about it.  You should be ashamed of yourself.  I'll never purchase your products again - and I make my teens do their own laundry, so just think of all the extra detergent I buy!!!

The world needs more tufted upholstery, bullion fringe, and nail head trim.

Do you say you make lasagna, or make a lasagna?  I can't decide, but I know this, whether it's made by you, or me, or the mailman down the street, the reaction from those who eat it is always the same - they all say it's the best lasagna they've ever had.

I couldn't donate blood in high school because I was underweight.  Don't have that problem any more.

Sadly, the male band teachers of my generation wouldn't let a girl step foot anywhere near a drum, so I was forced to learn the fine art of finger drumming (self-taught and pretty darn good at it, thank you very much).  I was thrilled when our oldest expressed an interest.  I'd love to know how many window-shaking, floor-pounding, symbol-crashing hours we've endured over the 12+ years since he got that first set of sticks, but the kid turned out to be a very talented drummer.  Not exactly sweet revenge, but kinda sorta :).  While we're on the subject, I can pat my head and rub my tummy at the same time, but I can't drum and sing at the same time.  What's up with that?

My eyebrows get "bed head".

The saying out of sight, our or mind can apply even when something is right under your nose.  Last week I prepared a pot full of chicken stock ingredients and forget to cook it.  Discovered it 2 days later.  You wouldn't believe what was lurking under that lid.  I nearly lost my lunch.

I like salt, but eating something too salty makes me cough.  After doing a bit of research online, it seems most experts think this phenomenon is caused by an over production of mucus in the throat.  I'm no expert, but they're wrong.  It's not a mucus thing, or a throat thing, it's a tastebud thing - an immediate flavor objection.  Do any of you experience this?  

The receptionist at my dentist's office is so efficient that she calls to remind me of my appoint 14 days ahead of time.  Does this make sense to anyone?  Two weeks is way too much time for me to forget about an appointment.... heck, 2 days is iffy.  I tried to explain this to her, but she obviously doesn't get it - not only do I still get a 2-week reminder phone call, now I get a bonus 2-week reminder text message too!  Sigh.

Virginia Sunset, November 2010 - ButterYum