Ask Chef LJ ...

Oct 23, 2008 20:00

SO I was minding my own business in Costco when a wonderfully priced bulk pack of Vanilla Beans jumped into my cart ( Read more... )

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burin October 24 2008, 01:39:19 UTC
Well, first you share some with your sister. Then you get some pears, peel, and cut them in half. Slit open the vanilla bean so that you can see the seeds. Put it into a pot with some water, a bit of sugar, a cinnamon stick and the pears. Poach until they are soft and yummy! These last well in the fridge so make a bunch.

I know I recently slathered something with a vanilla bean cream sauce but I can't remember what exactly.

I have also made vanilla sugar - just open up a bean and put it into a jar with some sugar. Mine has been in the pantry for over a year - just gets better and better.

And then there is just making vanilla extract. It's the perfect time to start it for holiday cooking. One bean in a jar with 80proof or better vodka. Let it sit in a dark place.

Ooo! This is SO yummy. I used the vanilla sugar for this.

Vanilla panna cotta (from Around the World Cookbook - Abigail Dodge)

2 1/2 C milk
4tsp unflavored gelatin
2/3 C sugar
1 C part-skim ricotta cheese
1tsp vanilla extract

pour 1 cup of the milk int a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the milk. Let sit until the gelatin is moist and puffy, about 4 minutes. Cook over medium-low heat, stiffing constantly until the gelatin ids dissolved. Don't let the mixture boil. Remove from heat and set aside. In the blender combine remaining milk, sugar, ricotta and vanilla. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the gelatin mixture. Process until blended about 30 seconds. Pour the mixture into custard cups and cover with plastic wrap. Refridgerate until firm - abotu 6 hours.

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burin October 24 2008, 01:41:25 UTC
Meant to say that you could split a bean, scrape out the pulp and add it to the saucepan as you cook the gelatin. I would omit the tsp of vanilla if you did this. Man, that would taste AWESOME!

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tikalibrian October 24 2008, 02:02:13 UTC
hmmmmmmmm
happy to share. Um, not sure I'm the person to do the vodka thing.
also not sure the panna cotta would work too well for fofah event food. , but good thoughts
the pear thing is in my mental database. will see what percolates tomorrow!
merci

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istemi October 24 2008, 02:13:32 UTC
I was going to suggest panna cotta too. This recipe is more like the one I usually use.

I make it in a bundt pan and let people slice off pieces. You might go a little heavier with the gelatin to ensure it holds its shape, and give it plenty of time to set in the fridge.

The panna cotta is a neutral base. You then wow them with the sauce. We make a cranberry fig one at christmas. You can use any nicely colored fruit. The other nice thing about sauce is it hides mistakes.

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burin October 24 2008, 14:26:47 UTC
(it's a bundt ... which comes from the greek ...) (love that movie. which, of course has nothing to do with vanilla bean dessert. but, hmmmm, interesting costume possibilities ... :::grin::)

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tikalibrian October 24 2008, 14:36:16 UTC
ok so "Anonymous" replying to your comment is me, having *thought* I'd already signed in. :::sigh:::.

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