Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta with Strawberries
The stated purpose of my junior year abroad was to study at the famous London School of Economics, but the first thing I did when I got to England was land a part-time job at the Roux brothers’ (also famous) restaurant, Le Mazarin. Of all the challenges of living abroad, I never thought I’d have a problem finding something decent to eat. Boy, was I wrong. While the food we served guests at Le Mazarin was topnotch, staff meals were a different story. Stripped chicken carcasses, limp vegetable trimmings, and, if we were lucky, a box of just-add-water mashed-potato flakes were the components of just about every meal. The rest of London wasn’t offering many great options either at that time. Fish and chips and heavy pub fare dominated the food scene in the late eighties, before Britain’s culinary renaissance. The one thing I found worth eating (and could afford on the £10 a week my job paid) was scones with clotted cream and strawberries. And that’s exactly what I ate, for 6 straight months. After so many meals of strawberries and cream, it’s a wonder that I still love that combination. Panna cotta (“cooked cream”), a silken, eggless Italian custard, is an easy-to-make complement to perfectly ripe berries. I’ve added crème fraîche to the traditional recipe to balance the strawberries’ sweetness with some tang. You can make the panna cotta in individual ramekins and unmold them just before serving or make it in a large gratin dish and spoon it out at the table family-style.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place the milk in a large bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over it, and stir to combine.
Step 2
In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and 5 tablespoons sugar to a boil. Lightly oil eight 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups (or a large gratin dish if serving family-style).
Step 3
When the cream mixture comes to a boil, turn off the heat and let it sit a few minutes.
Step 4
Slowly whisk the cream into the gelatin, and then whisk in the crème fraîche.
Step 5
Strain the mixture, and pour it into the prepared molds. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
Step 6
Ten minutes before serving, slice the strawberries, and toss them with a tablespoon or so of sugar, to taste.
Step 7
Run a hot knife around the edges of the panna cotta and invert it onto a large chilled platter. Surround the custard with the strawberries and their juice.
