Macha Green Tea Coconut Panna Cotta

Panna cotta is one of the easiest desserts to make (in my opinion).  Like creme brulee, you can alter it into different flavors pretty easily.  The recipe below uses coconut milk in place of the milk that would be in a typical recipe. I added a few simple garnishes, and oh la la! A simple dessert that is bound to impress.

Macha Green Tea Panna Cotta
Makes 4-6

1T Unflavored Gelatin Powder
2T Cold Water
1 C Heavy Cream
2 Cans of Coconut Milk
1/2 C + 1T Sugar
1 1/2 t Vanilla
1T Unsweetened Macha Powder
2T Crystallized Ginger, Chopped

Put gelatin in a pan with the water. Wait about one minute. 

Separate the top thick cream of the coconut milk and set aside. Measure out the remaining coconut milk from the bottom of the can. This would look like semi-clear coconut water. You will need 2 cups.  If there isn't enough, use a little of the thicker coconut cream.

Heat the pan with the gelatin until it becomes a clear liquid, about 30 seconds.  Add in the cream and 2 cups of reserved coconut milk. Bring it to a boil. Whisk 1/2 cup of sugar, vanilla, and macha powder in and remove from heat.

 

Pour it into 4-6 ramekins and chill for at least 3 hours or until it's set.

To serve, take the reserved coconut cream and stir in 1T sugar.  Dollop on top of the panna cottas and garnish with crystallized ginger.

Lobster Mac & Cheese

I know that some critics say that this is a waste of a good lobster tail, but for many, this is so worth it!  This recipe involves multi-tasking.  You'll want to prepare the lobster, cook the pasta, and make the sauce at the same time.  Don't worry though, it only takes about 25-30 minutes of prep work. 

Lobster Mac & Cheese
Serves 3-4 Entree Portions/ 5-6 Side Portions

12 Oz Macaroni or Curly Style Pasta
6 T Butter
1/3 C Flour
3 C Whole Milk
4 C Thinly Shredded Cheddar Cheese or Cheese Blend
1 Lb Lobster Tail
2 T Brandy
1/2 C Panko Bread Crumbs
2 t Onion Powder, or To Taste
1/2 t Nutmeg, or To Taste
Dash of Cayenne Pepper
Paprika for the Topping

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slit the lobster tails down the middle.  Reserve the lobster shell. Remove the lobster meat and roast it the oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked.  Chop the lobster meat.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta all of the way, to your liking.

In another pot, melt 2T of the butter and then add the flour. Stir well and cook for about 1 minute.  Add the milk and lobster shells (this is a good way to maximize the lobster flavor). Bring it to a boil and then simmer it for 5 minutes.  Pull out the tails or strain it if necessary.

Whisk in the cheese slowly until it melts.  Add the spices, brandy, and cooked lobster meat. 

Combine with the pasta and place into a casserole dish.  I happen to have a great nonstick dish.  If you're concerned, lightly butter the dish.

In a saute pan or the microwave, melt the remaining 4 T butter. Mix in the bread crumbs. Top the mac and cheese with the bread crumb mixture and sprinkle the top with paprika.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12-17 minutes and serve.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

This cake is really nice because of it's light flavor and texture.  Make sure to use fresh lemons and splurge a little on the olive oil.  When I made this I used a kalamata olive oil to really heighten the olive flavor.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Makes 1 Cake

For the Cake:
1 3/4 C Flour
1 1/2 C Sugar
2 1/2 t Baking Powder
1/2 t Baking Soda
1/4 t Salt
2 Lemons, Juice and Zested
1/2 C Milk
3/4 C Olive Oil (don't be cheap, get a good one!)
2 t Vanilla
4 Eggs

For the Glaze:
1/2 C Powdered Sugar
1/2 C Fresh Lemon Juice

 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a 9 inch cake pan and coat it with flour, tapping the remaining flour out of the pan.

Combine all of the cake ingredients in a bowl and beat it for about 1 minute or until well combined.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Feel free to use other sized or shaped pans, but the time will be different based on the deepness of the batter.

While the cake is baking, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl.

When the cake is finished baking, let it begin to cool in the pan.  Drizzle the cake with 1/2 of the lemon juice mixture.  Let it cool at least 15 minutes and remove it from the pan by flipping it upside down onto a plate or a cooling rack. Spoon the remaining lemon juice mixture on top.  Serve it as is or with vanilla or lavender infused whipped cream.