Practice, practice, practice.
That’s what your mother always used to tell you. Well, I’ve been practicing a lot of things lately. Going through transitions in life tends to make me practice things—patience, making bread, design, yoga. Sometimes, when things aren’t going just the right way, that little voice in your head starts creeping in saying “Hey you! You don’t know what you’re doing! You should be doubting yourself right now.” But recently, I find myself taking a deep breath and talking back to that little voice. “Well, you know what? I’m just practicing.”
I have recently run across lovely reminders from here and there of practicing, for practice sake, not in search of perfection. I often need reminded of this. I am just gathering, sharing, and learning about the current, the now.
When you practice, you realize you need to learn from those who already know. Today, we are thankful for our mothers because they are the ones that know. They have practiced patience, kindness, and love. They have practiced coping with crises, standing tall for others, and accepting help when they need it most. They became experts through many years of practice and are now coaches for all of us. As a thanks to all our mothers, here’s something sweet for their special day. Thanks, Moms. Happy Mothers Day!
Yogurt Panna Cotta
Because this recipe is so simple, the quality of the ingredients makes all the difference! For our panna cotta, we used Crescent Ridge milk from Sharon, Massachusetts and the light and flavorful Pepperbush Honey from our friends at 13 Colonies Apiary in North Dighton, Massachusetts. Many thanks to these fantastic local makers!
Barely adapted from the extremely talented Smitten Kitchen. Thankfully, this lady does a lot of practicing, and we get to enjoy the finished result of amazing recipes. To see instructions on making this in a dish to unmold, please see her recipe.
makes 7 individual servings
4 tablespoons water2 1/2 teaspoons (1 packet ) unflavored gelatin
2 cups plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1½ cups milk ½ cup heavy cream
¼ granulated sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, about ½ lemon toppings: 1/3 to 1/2 cup honey 1/2 to 3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted or honey roasted almonds from Trader Joe’s
Place water in a small bowl. Stir in gelatin and set aside until the gelatin softens, about 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt and ¾ cup of milk and ¼ cup of cream. In a small saucepan, bring remaining ¾ cup of milk, ¼ cup of cream, and sugar to a simmer. Stir in water-gelatin mixture (it will dissolve immediately) and remove from heat. Whisk this mixture into the yogurt mixture, then stir in lemon juice at the end. Ladle the mixture into small cups and chill in fridge for at least 2 hours. It’s best to do this the night before you need it, but it also tastes great after 2 hours, too.
Right before you serve the panna cotta, drizzle it with honey and sprinkle it with almonds. Don’t put the honey on long before because it changes the texture of panna cotta!
Do ahead: Panna cottas can be made two days ahead. Keep refrigerated.
by Claire
4 comments