“Reprinted from Own Your Kitchen. Copyright (c) 2013 by Anne Burrell. Photographs copyright (c) 2013 by Quentin Bacon. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House LLC.”
I’ve been a fan of Anne Burrell ever sense I watched her as Mario Batali’s sous chef cracking eggs one-handed at lightening speed on Iron Chef…I want to crack eggs like Anne! It’s easy to relate to her love of Italian food (especially pasta)! Her simple approach to pure and rustic food just makes sense.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day! Enjoy this Cappuccino Panna Cotta recipe, courtesy of Anne Burrell on behalf of Food Network’s series, Worst Cooks in America.
Anne Burrell and Bobby Flay are back to transform kitchen disasters into skilled cooks in the fifth season of Worst Cooks in America. Premiering on Monday, February 17th at 9pm ET/PT, the seven-episode season pits formerly undefeated series champ Anne against last season’s winner Bobby, each leading a team of disastrous cooks in an intense culinary boot camp designed to turn them into confident kitchen heroes.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Happy Cooking! Happy Premier for two of my favorite chefs, Anne and Bobby! xx
cappuccino panna cotta with chocolate sauce
Serves 4
Time: About 30 minutes active and at least 2 hours to chill
Mise en Place
For the panna cotta
4 sheets of gelatin
3 cups heavy cream
3⁄4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1⁄2 vanilla bean
1⁄2 cup chocolate-covered espresso beans, for garnish
For the chocolate sauce
4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1⁄4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
For the panna cotta:
1 In a small bowl of cool water, submerge the gelatin sheets to soften. They will go from stiff to soft, kind of like the texture of a giant contact lens. Feel one—it’s SO cool!
2 In a small saucepan, combine the cream, sugar, and espresso powder. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise down one side, open it up, and scrape out the seeds with a paring knife. Add the seeds and the hull to the pan. Whisk to combine everything.
3 Bring the cream mixture to a boil and then immediately turn off the heat. Remove the softened gelatin sheets from the water and squeeze out the excess water. Add the gelatin sheets to the pan and whisk to combine.
4 Immediately ladle the cream mixture into four 6-ounce ramekins and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or overnight.
For the chocolate sauce:
1 Fill a small saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring it to a boil.
2 In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the chocolate chips, heavy cream, butter, and corn syrup. Place the bowl on top of the pan of water (this is a double-boiler setup). Reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir until the chocolate has melted and all the ingredients are combined. Remove and use immediately or store in a warm place until ready to use.
To unmold the panna cotta:
1 Fill a small saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Run a paring knife around the outside edge of the panna cotta to loosen it. Set each ramekin in the saucepan for 10 seconds. Place a small serving plate on top of each ramekin and flip it over to unmold the panna cotta. If it doesn’t release, put the ramekin in the water for a few seconds more and try again.
2 To serve, ladle a couple tablespoons of the chocolate sauce around the panna cotta and sprinkle with a few chocolate-covered espresso beans.
Note: If you can’t find gelatin sheets, you can substitute powdered gelatin, but first you need to “bloom” it in water—which just means dissolving it in a little bit of water until it looks sort of like jelly. It takes only a few minutes. Then you need to dissolve it with your hot liquid—it’s easy, but sheets are a lot more fun. To use powdered gelatin in this recipe, first bloom one 1⁄4- ounce envelope in 2 tablespoons water, then add it to the mix, and you’re back to business as usual.
