Panna Cotta!

My boyfriend asked me to make him panna cotta last week and since I know it's one of the few desserts my dad loves, and something I had yet to make, I was instantly on board. Challenge accepted! I used a recipe from Giada and it came out great! I made the panna cotta using heavy cream, whole milk, honey, vanilla extract, and topped with fresh sliced berries (strawberries and blueberries in honor of 4th of July). I set the panna cotta in several ramekins and found that the best one was the last one I served over a four day period, so I believe this dessert really needs time in the fridge, way beyond the minimum overnight hours. The time is so worth it - panna cotta is really just Italian eggless custard, so it is very creamy and rich with just a hint of honey and vanilla. I would like to make it again and omit the honey and go for some fresh citrus zest instead.

I also made a simple meal running home after class; tilapia francese, roasted broccoli florets, and garlicky pearl pasta. I made the tilapia by dipping the fish into an egg wash and then into a flour, old bay seasoning, salt, and pepper and back in to the egg wash before setting it down in a hot pan with olive oil. I got the basics of the recipe from I Was Born to Cook's blog. The broccoli I roasted simply using olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. The pearl pasta I made with chicken stock, white wine, and minced fresh garlic. Yum!

Last week it was another lovely co-worker of mine's birthday, so I made mini carrot cake cupcakes with lemon mascarpone frosting, recipe courtesy of Williams-Sonoma.