Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens

by Jennifer Schaertl

  Buttermilk Panna Cotta

  Serves 4

  Light and creamy, this recipe represents a definitive gourmet summer dessert. It cooks in one pot and then chills in the fridge. You never have to turn on your crappy oven!

  ½ cup whole milk

  2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

  ½ cup sugar

  1 tablespoon lemon juice

  2 cups buttermilk

  1 pinch sea salt

  1 pint fresh berries

  1 Add the milk to your 1-quart saucepot, and sprinkle in the gelatin. Allow this to sit for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. Put this mixture over medium heat, and whisk in the sugar. Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved.

  Swap It

  With a variation perfect for every season, cream desserts are just as versatile as they are delicious. Use the same basic custard recipe (either for panna cotta or crème brulee) while exchanging accompaniments to create a whole new gourmet dessert. Garnish the panna cotta with blood orange segments in the winter, add bing cherries to the bread pudding in the spring, and burn thinly sliced apple into the top of a brulee in the fall. Let the seasons and contents of your crappy little fridge dictate your inspirations.

  2 Add the lemon, buttermilk, and pinch of salt, whisk to combine, and take it off the heat. Carefully strain the mixture into a large measuring cup. Pour this into 4 soufflé or coffee cups, cover them with small squares of plastic wrap, and set them on a level shelf in the refrigerator to chill.

  3 After a minimum of 4 hours (preferably overnight), run your paring knife around each panna cotta and invert each dish over a small dessert plate. Scatter plenty of fresh berries on top of the panna cotta as well as around the plate, and serve immediately.

  Chefology

  PANNA COTTA

  Panna Cotta means “cooked cream” in Italian, and it is no wonder why. This silky-smooth Italian pudding compliments any fresh fruit or berry in season. The perfect dinner party dessert, panna cotta is best when made a day or two in advance.

  Bread Pudding with

  Bourbon Crème Anglaise

  Serves 12

  No fall or winter family gathering would be complete without this rich and classic dessert.

  2 one-pound loaves brioche

  ½ cup dried cherries

  ½ cup golden raisins

  1 cup Kentucky bourbon

  ¼ cup pecan pieces, toasted

  1 cup whole milk

  1 cup heavy cream

  1 vanilla bean, scraped

  4 egg yolks

  ¼ cup sugar

  Sugar in the raw, as needed

  1 Preheat the oven to 350°. Slice your brioche into ¼-inch slices, and lay them out on sheet trays to toast in the oven for 15 minutes. While it toasts, cover the cherries and raisins with the bourbon for 15 minutes. Strain them and reserve the bourbon.

  2 Make 1 layer of toasted brioche in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with a few of the cherries, raisins, and toasted pecans. Continue layering like this until you run out of bread. Use any leftover fruit or nuts to garnish the finished dessert.

  Swap It

  Instead of bourbon, feel free to use your favorite whisky or even rum to customize the sauce to your liking. Try layering sliced apple, pitted fresh cherries, or ripe bananas in between the layers of bread as variations on traditional bread pudding. If you can’t find brioche, Challah or even cinnamon raisin bread are perfect substitutes, but any crappy bread is better than having no bread pudding at all! Even leftover biscuits or muffins from breakfast work well.

  How to Remove the Seeds from Vanilla Beans

  Use your chef’s knife to cut a vanilla bean lengthwise from end to end. Scrape the inside of the bean with the edge of your knife to remove the tiny black seeds inside.

  3 Add the milk, heavy cream, and vanilla bean to your 1-quart saucepot. Put this over medium to low heat and wait for it to simmer.

  4 In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Then set the bowl on top of a damp towel to secure it and free up both of your hands. When the milk begins to simmer and rise up the sides of the pot, slowly drizzle it into the bowl of sugar and eggs while you whisk it vigorously. If you pour the scalded milk in too quickly or don’t mix your eggs while pouring, it could overheat and scramble the eggs, which would be crappy.

  5 Evenly pour all but ¼ cup of the custard over the dish of toasted brioche layers. Place another 9 x 13-inch baking dish (disposable is fine, but you’ll want to fill it ¼ of the way up with dried beans to create weight) over the bread and custard to help weigh it down, and place the whole thing in the oven. While this bakes for 45 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of bourbon into the reserved custard, making your bourbon crème anglaise.

  6 After 45 minutes, remove the weight from the pan, sprinkle the raw sugar over the bread pudding, and continue baking for 15 minutes, allowing the top to brown. Once the pudding is golden brown, remove it from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm slices with a drizzle of the bourbon anglaise and a sprinkle of cherries, raisins, and pecans.

  Did You Know This Crap?

  Raw sugar provides an appetizing, pastry-shop finish to baked desserts. Despite the name, raw sugar is processed, however unlike white sugar, which has had the molasses (a by-product of refining) removed during processing, raw sugar contains a bit of the molasses residue, which provides its earthy color and round flavor.

  Butterscotch Crème Brulee

  Serves 6

  I love bananas or fresh strawberries with this custard, but use whatever fruit looks freshest or that you enjoy the most.

  1½ cups whole milk

  1½ cups heavy cream

  1 vanilla bean, scraped

  8 egg yolks

  ½ cup brown sugar

  3 tablespoons dark molasses

  3 tablespoons Scotch

  1 pinch sea salt

  1 banana, thinly sliced

  Sugar in the raw, as needed

  1 Preheat the oven to 350°. In your 1-quart saucepot, add the milk, heavy cream, and vanilla bean. Put this over medium to low heat and wait for it to simmer.

  2 In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, brown sugar, molasses, Scotch, and sea salt. When the milk begins to simmer and rise up the sides of the pot, slowly drizzle it into the bowl of sugar and eggs while you whisk vigorously.

  3 Carefully pour the incorporated mixture into a large measuring cup. Place 6 soufflé or coffee cups in a large baking dish and add hot tap water until it reaches ½ way up the sides of the cups. Fill the cups ¾ full with the brulee mixture, and place the entire baking dish into the oven.

  4Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the custard has set (when jiggled gently the custard should not wiggle). Carefully use your tongs to remove the cups from the hot water, and place them in the refrigerator to chill. After the custard has cooled (about an hour), arrange a single layer of sliced bananas over each brulee, then sprinkle on a thin layer of raw sugar. Fire up your torch, keeping the flame about 2 inches from the banana slices, and melt the sugar.

  Coconut Poached Pears

  with Burgundy Sauce

  Serves 8

  Crisp and juicy fall pears, a vibrant color combination, and ease in preparation make this dessert a chic addition to an autumn dinner party.

  2 cups burgundy wine

  1 cinnamon stick

  cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

  2 cups coconut milk

  1 vanilla bean, scraped

  4 ripe pears, peeled with stem attached

  4 fresh mint sprigs

  1 In your 1-quart saucepot, add the wine, cinnamon stick, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place this over high heat, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Allow this to come to a boil and cook until reduced by half.

  2 Place your 12-inch sauté pan over medium heat and add your coconut milk, vanilla bean, and . cup of sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Allow it to come to a simmer, but watch it carefully to properly regulate the temper
ature so it doesn’t boil or it will separate. Cut each of the pears in half vertically straight through the stem, leaving the stems halves intact. Scoop out the cores, and place the pear halves core-side down into the coconut milk to simmer for 15 minutes.

  3 Once the wine has reduced by half, remove the cinnamon stick and lower the heat to medium. Continue simmering until it becomes a thick syrup, then remove from the heat.

  4 Turn the pears over and slowly simmer on the other side for 10 minutes. Remove them from the poaching liquid. Place one pear half into a shallow dish and spoon over some of the coconut poaching liquid. Drizzle with the wine sauce and garnish with a sprig of mint.

  Fig and Lavender Honey

  Yogurt Pie

  Serves 10 to 12

  Summertime begs for cool, no-bake desserts, and this is one of the best, with no mixer or special equipment required.

  1cups graham cracker crumbs

  5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  ½ cup quick cooking oats

  3 tablespoons light brown sugar

  1 pinch sea salt

  1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin

  3 tablespoons cold water

  1 cup Greek-style yogurt

  ½ cup lavender honey

  1½ cups heavy cream, chilled

  12 purple mission figs, quartered lengthwise

  1 Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, oats, brown sugar, and salt until moistened. Press into the bottom of a 6-inch springform pan and halfway up the sides, packing it tightly with your fingertips so it is even and compacted.

  2 Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a small sauté pan and let soften for 2 minutes. Whisk together the yogurt and honey in a medium-size bowl. Set the small sauté pan over the lowest flame possible while stirring constantly, just until it melts. Whisk the melted gelatin into the yogurt mixture until smooth.

  Did You Know This Crap?

  Greek-style yogurt is used in this recipe with fantastic results. It has a thicker, creamier consistency than regular yogurt because it has been strained to remove the excess liquid. You can also change up the recipe by topping this dessert with the Plum Champagne Granita (p. 236) instead of the figs.

  3 Whip the heavy cream until it holds stiff peaks. Gently fold half of the whipped cream into the yogurt mixture, taking care not to deflate the cream. Now fold the last of the whipped cream into the yogurt mixture. Gently spoon the mixture into the prepared springform pan, then cover the pan with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it until completely set, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

  4 Hold a small knife under hot tap water, and then run it along the sides of the pie to help release it from the pan. Open the spring, and slice the pie into wedges. Serve each slice on a dessert plate. Place 2 pieces of fig on top of each slice, and scatter a few fig pieces on the plate. Serve ice cold.

  Phil’s Fourth of July

  Birthday Cobbler

  Serves 8 to 10

  This festive red, white, and blue dessert can be easily mixed by hand in any CLK.

  12 ounces unsalted butter

  1 cup halfand-half

  3 cups all-purpose flour

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  2 cups sugar

  2 tablespoons sea salt

  2 eggs

  3 tablespoons tapioca flour or cornstarch

  1 teaspoon cinnamon

  1 pinch nutmeg

  3 pints fresh blueberries

  2 pounds fresh strawberries, prepped and quartered

  Vanilla ice cream, as needed

  1 Preheat your oven to 350°. Melt 8 ounces of the butter in the microwave (on full power for about 1 minute), then add the half-and- half to cool it down. Set it aside.

  2 In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ½ cup of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of salt. In the center of these dry ingredients, crack the 2 eggs and lightly scramble them. Add the butter and half-and-half mixture into the eggs, and stir until the dough just comes together. Refrigerate.

  3 In a large bowl, whisk together 1½ cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon of salt, tapioca, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Melt 4 ounces of butter and add it to the sugar mixture. Toss in the berries and completely coat them with sugar and butter. Evenly spread this on the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

  4 Drop large dumplings of your refrigerated dough onto the pan of berries. Each dumpling should represent one portion of cobbler, so try to make them even and barely touching. Bake this in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown, and then let it rest 10 minutes.

  5 Scoop each cobbler helping into an individual serving bowl and top with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

  Chocolate Rum Cheesecake with

  Vanilla Espresso Syrup

  Serves 10 to 12

  If a fabulous cheesecake and a brilliant cup of coffee had a love child, this would be their gourmet story.

  1½ cups graham cracker crumbs

  6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  ½ cup quick cooking oats

  3 tablespoons light brown sugar

  2 pinches sea salt

  6 ounces semisweet chocolate

  cup dark rum

  1 pound cream cheese, softened

  5 ounces ricotta cheese

  1¾ cups sugar

  2 tablespoons cocoa powder

  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  2 eggs

  1 cup freshly brewed espresso or very strong coffee

  1 vanilla bean, scraped

  1 Preheat the oven to 350°. Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, oats, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt until moistened. Press into the bottom of your lined pan, packing it tightly with your fingertips.

  2 In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate and rum in short intervals until completely melted and smooth when stirred. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, ricotta, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, pinch of salt, and vanilla extract until smooth. Then whisk in 1 egg at a time. Slowly add the melted chocolate and rum mixture until just combined. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the springform pan and place in the oven.

  3 Bake 45 minutes or until set in the middle. As soon as you take it out of the oven, run a knife around the outside of the cheesecake to release it, and place in the refrigerator to chill.

  4 Put your 1-quart saucepot over medium-high heat and stir the espresso, ¾ cup of sugar, and vanilla bean until the sugar is dissolved. Allow it to simmer for 10 minutes or until it thickens slightly. Strain out the vanilla bean by pouring the sauce through your fine strainer and refrigerate. Cut the chilled cheesecake into slices and serve drizzled with the sauce.

  Berry Short Cakes with

  Vanilla Bean Mousse

  Serves 8 to 10

  These cakes are actually little cream biscuits because I fold in cream, which is a much easier task for the CLK chef than cutting in cold butter. For a restaurant-worthy presentation, finish this off with a drizzle of chocolate sauce and a sprig of mint.

  2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

  ¼ cup sugar, plus more for dusting

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  1 teaspoon sea salt

  3 cups heavy cream

  1 vanilla bean, scraped

  3 tablespoons powdered sugar

  8 ounces cream cheese, softened

  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  3 pounds fresh berries

  1 Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt. Pour in the 1½ cups of heavy cream, and mix until it comes together into a ball of dough. If it is a little too dry to adhere together, add more cream a tablespoon at a time until it is soft but not sticky.

  2 Lightly flour your clean and dry counter. Placing the dough on the counter, fold it over to knead it twice, and shape it into a perfect square. Roll out your square (with a rolling pin if you have one, but I use a wine bottle in my CLK) until it is ½-inch thick. C
ut the dough into 2-inch squares and then diagonally to make triangles. Place them on a sheet tray, dust them with sugar, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Always eat a fresh biscuit to check for doneness, and because it would be silly not to!

  3 Place 1½ cups heavy cream into a large bowl and add the vanilla bean seeds.

  Whisk slowly to try to break the seeds apart while adding the powdered sugar. Now whip the cream to stiff peaks and refrigerate.

  4 In another large bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese and the vanilla extract. Add half of the whipped cream and fold it together by gently putting your spatula in the center of the bowl and pulling it towards you while you scrape the spatula along the bottom. When the spatula breaks the surface of the batter, turn the bowl about an inch, and start again. Each time you pull up and then drop the spatula back into the center, you will be folding in the whipped cream to the batter. Only do this for about 90 seconds or you will deflate all of your fluffy cream.

  5 Place one warm biscuit in the center of the plate. Gently top with a large scoop of mousse, and pile on the berries. Lean another biscuit up against the berries, and top with a small dollop of mousse and a vibrant berry. Serve immediately.

  Plum Champagne Granita

  Serves 6 to 8

  Oh-so-very-sophisticated served in a frozen martini or wine glass, this recipe is also foolproof. You can make it well in advance because it will remain spectacular in your freezer for 2 weeks. Also a beautiful garnish on other desserts, I use it to top the Fig and Lavender Honey Yogurt Pie (p. 230).

  1 pound red plums, pitted, chopped

  ¼ cup sugar

  ¼ cup water

  cup champagne

  1 Place the plums, sugar, and water in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a baking dish large enough to accommodate all the puree plus room for adding the champagne. Stir the champagne into the plum puree. Freeze until the puree is icy around the edges, about 1 hour. Using a large fork, stir the icy parts of the puree into the middle of the dish. Continue to freeze for about 2½ hours or until the mixture is frozen, stirring the edges into the center every 30 minutes.