Buttermilk Panna Cotta w/ Raspberry Carmel Sauce

You may have notice a considerable amount of bloggers sporting a red theme today. They do so in support of the 33.4 million people living with HIV. Today is World Aids Day and food bloggers are supporting and remembering those affected by this disease by posting red-themed recipes.

Every year AIDS claims more than 2 million men, women and children. Wear red, cook red and show your support for those we have lost and those still living.

I choose to create a beautiful dessert of Panna Cotta with a vibrant red raspberry carmel sauce. Panna cotta is a velvety smooth dessert consisting of cream, gelatin and vanilla. In this recipe I also added a good amount of buttermilk for a tangy addition to the dessert. The recipe is simple and adds a rich and satisfying but lighter end to any meal. It is simple to prepare but is guaranteed to wow your family or your guests.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta w/ Raspberry Carmel Sauce

serves 5

Panna Cotta

*

1 3/4 tsp unflavored gelatin

3/4 c. heavy cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

2 tsp. vanilla bean paste

*

Raspberry Carmel Sauce

*

1 cup sugar

6 tbsp. water

1 c. heavy cream

1 stick butter

6 oz. fresh or frozen raspberries

Combine unflavored gelatin and 1 3/4 tbsp. water in bowl. Set aside and let bloom. Add sugar and heavy cream to a sauce pan, heat to a simmer. remove from heat and add gelatin. Stir to combine. Let cool. Add buttermilk to cooled mixture. Whisk to combine. Divide among 5 individual ramekins. Cover and place in fridge for 4 1/2 to 5 hours until set.

Raspberry Carmel Sauce

*

Place sugar and water in a medium sauce pan, simmer until sugar dissolves. Bring sugar to boil and boil without touching for 8 minutes until a light amber color. While waiting combine cream and butter in pan and heat until melted. After 8 minutes slowly add cream mixture to sugar mixture while stirring. The mixture will bubble up a considerable amount, be careful! When all cream mixture is add stir until bubbling subsides and mixture is a smooth Carmel. Add raspberries and stir to incorporate. Let cool to room temperature.

To Plate:

*

Run a sharp knife around the inside edge of the ramekin to release the panna cotta. Place plate on top of ramekin and turn over. The panna cotta will eventually slide out of the ramekin and onto the plate. Spoon raspberry carmel sauce around the edge of the dessert and garnish with raspberries and mint. Serve immediately!

*
You will have sauce left over, refrigerate for 7-10 days. Use remaining sauce as a ice cream topping or whatever you desire.

SJgourmet and OpenSky Cyber Monday Special Offer!!

COUPONS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE

DUE TO OVERWHELMING RESPONSE

We will be having more promotions in the month of December!

*

Today is Cyber Monday, the biggest retail day for the internet! To celebrate Cyber Monday and the holidays SJgourmet at http://theopenskyproject.com/ is offering a 25 dollar credit towards any purchase. There is no minimum purchase, free shipping and can be used at any OpenSky shop. The 25 dollar coupons are limited in number and will go fast so be sure to use your credit as soon as possible! This is a fantastic opportunity to get handpicked products and goods from http://sjgourmet.theopenskyproject.com/ at a considerable reduction and with free shipping just in time for your holiday gift giving!

I know we all love a deal and the idea of getting christmas gifts for the ones we love at a discount appeals to our sensible side, but we also want gifts that are creative and that the reciever will love. I have put together a list of ideas perfect for a variety of interests and hobbies. Remember that this a SMALL representation of what is available at http://www.theopenskyproject.com/, please come and see for yourselves what the shopkeepers at OpenSky have to offer!

To redeem your 25 dollar credit please enter code: sarahhe2509 when you check out! Remember this is a limited time offer and is subject to cancellation at any time, so redeem as soon as possible!

Global 8 inch Chef's knife a must have for any cook, Sarah Herman SJgourmet

Beautiful Staub Coq Au Vin from Greg Henry of SippitySup perfect for the foodie

Beautiful wine carafe from Kelly Lyden of The Party Dress perfect for the wine conisuier

Bodum from Kath Younger of Kath eats real food, perfect for the college student

Brass Water Measurement from Dave Epstein perfect for the gardener

Beautiful SeaLife Plates from Tina Haupert of carrots and cake perfect for anyone

KidsKitchen

KidsKitchen is on vacation this week and will return next week! Stay tune Monday for an amazing deal from OpenSky and SJgourmet, after all tomorrow is Cyber Monday!!
In the meantime I will leave you with a simple recipe to use the mountains of turkey I am sure that we all have leftover from thanksgiving. I have to give the credit to my husband for this culinary concoction, he came up with it all on his own! ( I must be rubbing off on him ) All joking aside this is a delicious way to use extra turkey and the garlic mayonnaise can be used for a variety of other culinary applications such as a topping for grilled seafood or on a beautiful medium rare burger.

Turkey with Avocado-Shallot and Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise

Serves 1

2 slices of good bread ( toasted)

1/4 lb. cooked turkey breast

1/2 avocado

4 shallots

olive oil

Roasted-Garlic Mayonnaise

1 cup prepared mayonnaise

1 whole garlic head

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice garlic head in half and place in foil, drizzle with olive oil. Wrap foil tightly around garlic and roast in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool squeeze garlic from shells into the prepared mayo and mix to combine. Saute sliced shallots in a small amount of olive oil until brown on medium heat. Toast the bread until lightly brown. Add turkey and sliced avocado to toasted bread, sprinkle on shallots. Spread top piece of toasted bread with garlic mayonnaise. Place on top, slice and enjoy!

*Remaining Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise can be refrigerated and kept for up to 7 days.

Culinary Overload

I don't know about you but I am in food overload mode! I am sure next week it will change, I will desire to cook and bake again but for now I have had enough! So.... instead I will treat you to a few photos.

I had the amazing experience to be able to reconnect with my brother ( and his lovely girlfriend) after 15 years of not seeing him! The last time I saw him he was 15 and I had left for college, I have spoke to him many times over the years but busy lives and distance has always stood between us. Yes, it is unfortunate but I now have the opportunity to make up for lost time!

J. is a great photographer and during the visit we choose areas of San Diego that provided amazing photographic opportunities. The San Diego Wildlife Zoo and Point Loma were two of the most successful in my opinion. Point Loma is the point at which the first Europeans landed and discovered California. It has panoramic views and on a clear day you will be able to see down the coast to Mexico. Point Loma also served as a military outpost to protect the San Diego harbor in world war I and II, many of the remnants of the batteries remain. Along with war remnants a beautiful veterans cemetary is on the grounds to honor the many fallen soldiers of past and present wars.

The San Diego Wildlife Park is situated in the beautiful orange groves of San Pasqual. The zoo is an extension of The world famous San Diego Zoo, animals are in simulate natural habitats and many endangered and rare animals have been bred and born at the facility. The zoos are non-profit and depend on the income from the zoo patrons, so consider a visit if ever out this way!

Happy Thanksgiving

There are many things I have to be thankful for..... But these are my top three. Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!

Kids Kitchen

It's once again time for Kids Kitchen! This week we began our quest at the farmers market, tasting and choosing what fruit would be perfect for our Busy Morning Smoothie. Each vendor had beautiful, unique and very fresh produce to offer. In the end the ripe mango and deep red locally grown strawberries caught our attention, we placed them in our market bag and continued on....

The Busy Morning Smoothie is born, the perfect and simple way to send your family out the door in the morning, secure in the fact that they started their day out right!




Busy Morning SmoothieServes 4*6 whole strawberries1/2 ripe mango1 tbsp. honey1 tsp. vanilla1 cup milk1 cup iceRemove stems from the strawberries. Peel and slice 1/2 a ripe mango. Place both fruits in blender. Add honey, vanilla, ice and milk to the blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into 4 small glasses and garnish with a fresh strawberry. Enjoy!

Ginger-Cardamom Roasted Vegetables

It's time to continue our quest for perfect Thanksgiving dishes. We all have vegetables grace our tables on this day, however this thanksgiving how about putting a twist on them. I 'm not suggesting we abandon all tradition, I know that I will still have classic mashed potatoes and gravy, maybe some fresh green beans with bacon and of course the perfect pumpkin pie. But.... a little change is good isn't it!?

We live in a very food driven nation, the availability of global products to us is immense. Fruits and vegetables once only seen in their native lands are now available in your local market. Beautiful and exotic spices are sitting on the shelves begging to find a home in your next meal. Why not utilize some of these amazing foods in your thanksgiving meal?

Ginger-cardamon roasted vegetables gives you a chance to introduce new flavors to your guests without scaring them off. Pick some classic root vegetables such as carrots and parsnips and add a few of the more obscure such as white asparagus and beautiful crab apples. YES, I said crab apples! They are not just for picking off the tree in your grandpa's front yard and throwing at your very annoying little brothers head! Crab apples add a touch of sweetness to the roasted vegetables and compliment the smokey cardamon and sweet ginger beautifully.

So, think about adding a little of the traditional and a touch of the exotic to your table. Your guest will be happy you did!

Ginger-Cardamon Roasted Vegetable

Serves 6

*

8 carrots

6 parsnips

4 cloves garlic

1 lb. white asparagus

12 crab apples

1 tbsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tbsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375. Peel the parsnips, carrots and white asparagus. Cut in half lengthwise and cut into uniform medium pieces. Peel garlic and smash to release the oils. Remove the stems and core the crab apples. Leave them whole. ( I cut them in half the first time and they burnt, they roasted much better whole)

Mix together cardamon, ginger, salt and pepper. Place all fruit and vegetable on a baking sheet with a Silpat. Drizzle with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle the spice mixture over all the vegetables. Toss with hands to coat. Bake a t 375 for 25 minutes until parsnips and carrots are soft and tender. Serve immediately.