‘The most indispensable ingredient of all good home cooking: love, for those you are cooking for.”
Sophia Loren
It’s the 27th, the Daring Bakers time of the month. Really geared up from last months Entermet and imprime experience, the first look at February’s challenge posted had me a little disheartened even though the panna cotta is on top of my list of favourite desserts. After a rejuvenating and very challenging beginning to the year, I warmed up to the idea of a creamy panna cotta pretty soon.
The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.
Like every challenge, this one was soon beginning to tempt me into the kitchen. I have to declare my love for panna cotta. I think it’s the most luxuriant and indulgent dessert ever, yet one that comes laden with guilty calories. The calories are the only thing that keep me from making this often, so in many ways I was secretly happy to see the challenge. 
Fate had me make a Dark Chocolate Espresso Panna Cotta last week too…LOL!! As Mallory promised, this was certainly turning out to be a Creamy Dreamy Crunchy Sweet February, the month of love!
The luxury of a creamy panna cotta, a challenge that wasn’t breathing fire down your throat, made me want to try something new at my own pace, which is what I did. Even though I bought cream {read lots of it } I thought quark panna cotta, made with quark, a soft curd cheese I have come to love.
Googling for recipe proportions led me to one that my lovely friend Meeta had done ages ago. My recipe is based roughly on hers. Mine was definitely going to have a fruit pairing because I find that the slight tanginess of quark is complimented beautifully by seasonal fruit. Planned a strawberry quark panna cotta with a chocolate gelee, but once the pots and pans were out, other thoughts came to my mind. I saw tangerines on my little shrub, and decided to go with a 2 toned panna cotta. Bye bye chocolate, hello tangerine. Orange you glad I chose you?
Home made quark is the best thing that happened to me a couple of years ago while doing a featured post for Foodbuzz. I whizzed the quark, strawberries and sugar to a smooth puree; yummy enough to eat at this stage itself. Using 2 flavours meant an overnight wait for one later to set first. For the second layer, I went the citrus way using some bitter tangerine marmalade I had recently made. Fingers crossed, into the fridge it went. Quark and fruit are a rocking good combination.
The Oatmeal Florentines should have been a cakewalk, but I missed reading the flour in there. I made half the recipe. The minute the first tray was into the oven and bubbling like lava, I knew something was wrong. No time to recheck, so I just stirred in some more oats and made the second tray. My cookies were by default gluten free! {A check later revealed I had forgotten to add the plain flour}. These are some delicious cookies, and oh-so-addictive. No time for melted chocolate, meant good old Nutella.
Thank you Mallory for the very Creamy Dreamy Crunchy Sweet February, and thank you as always Lisa of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice for hosting this fab kitchen!! Do stop by HERE and check the dreams’ that our other daring folk have stirred up around the globe.
Strawberry Vanilla Quark Panna Cotta
200 ml low fat cream
150g quark
90sugar
200gms strawberries
3 sheets gelatin
1 vanilla bean, scraped and pod reserved
Method:
Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes.
Blend the quark with strawberries and sugar until smooth. Reserve.
Simmer cream and vanilla bean for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the water from the gelatin sheets and stir into the simmering cream until mixed through {do not allow to boil}. Remove from heat.
Fold in 2tbsps of quark mixture into cream, and then mix the entire cream into the quark until uniform. Divide into 6 serving glasses. Allow to set for 4-6 hours {more if the weather is hot .I tend to use more gelatin in warmer weather.}
Quark Tangerine Vanilla Panna Cotta
200ml low fat cream
1 vanilla bean scraped
zest of 1 orange
2 sheets of gelatin
75gms quark
1/2 cup bitter orange marmalade
Method:
Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes while you simmer the cream.
Simmer cream, orange zest and vanilla bean for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the water from the gelatin sheets and stir into the simmering cream until mixed through. Remove from heat.
Blend the quark with tangerine marmalade until smooth. {Adjust sugar if required. It will get less sweet once you add the cream to this}
Fold in 2tbsps of quark mixture into cream, and then mix the entire cream into the quark until uniform. Stir constantly to cool as it will melt the previously set panna cotta if it is too hot.
Ladle/pour gently into the serving glasses on top of the already set quark strawberry panna cotta. Leave to set for another 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
Strawberry/ Tangerine Gelee
100gms strawberries
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
2 tbsp bitter orange marmalade
Method:
Simmer the ingredients until soft and gelly like. Pass through a sieve, pushing the fruit through to get a clear puree. Cool and ladle on top of the panna cotta.
Candied Tangerines
2-3 tangerines, sliced fine
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp water
Method:
Place all ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. then gently simmer till the slices become translucent. Remove gently to a parchment paper {reserve the syrup for a lemonade etc}, and bake in low {100C} over for about an hour or two, turning once or twice, until they appear translucent.
Nestle Florentine Cookies
Adapted from recipe from the cookbook “Nestle Classic Recipes”
2/3 cup unsalted butter
2 3/4 cups quick oats
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
½ cups Nutella
Method:
Preheat oven to 190°C. Prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan, then remove from the heat.
To the melted butter add oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Drop a tablespoon full, three inches onto your prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the back of your tablespoon, or use a spatula.
Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until cookies are golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheets.
Peel the cookies from the parchment and place face down on a wire rack set.
Spread a tablespoon of Nutella on the bottom/flat side of your cookie, sandwiching another cookie atop the chocolate.
This recipe will make about 2 1/2 – 3 dozen sandwiched Florentine cookies.{I made half recipe}
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Such beautiful photographs as usual and entertaining post on your thoughts and decisions through the challenge. Yes I am glad you choose tangerine the finished panna cotta’s are soooo pretty.
Love the nutella on the cookies it is a great time saving step and would be positively delicious.
Your layers are so beautiful. How do you get them angled like that? Nutella sounds like the perfect solution for the florentines. I wish I had thought of that too.
Sarah´s last [type] ..Hiyashi Soba and Tempura
As always, as if you had a magic wand, you turn a simple dessert into something outrageous! Everything sounds really delicious and beautiful, and your photos are stunning! Congrats!
Renata´s last [type] ..PANNA COTTA & FLORENTINES – Daring Bakers Challenge – Feb-2011
I just finished a bunch of strawberry on Tiramisu. Think I have to buy another bunch to try this ..
kankana´s last [type] ..Punjabi Wadi with Layered Paratha
Really beautiful art pieces in a glass.
I have panna cotta on my “to-make” list now. Thank you for sharing
Just needed to ask you something. I have packets of gelatine on me, how much would that translate into 3 sheets as mentioned in your recipe?
Anita Menon´s last [type] ..Restaurant Review Project 13- Isfahani
WOW your blog is astounding and is full of stunning photography, in fact the photography really shines and speaks of the fun you have doing the challenge. Quark and tangerine sounds so exotic and I bet is super tasty. Outstanding work on this challenge well done.
Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.
Audax Artifex´s last [type] ..Feb 2011 DC Challenge Panna Cotta & Florentine Cookies
What an astounding blog you have and photography is stunning in fact the pictures show your passion and the fun you have with the challenge. Quark and tangerine sounds so delicious I love the idea of the slight tang of quark and the slight bitterness of tangerine wonderful result. Love your blog.
Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.
OBTW I tried to post before and something happened so sorry it this is a double posting.
Audax Artifex´s last [type] ..Feb 2011 DC Challenge Panna Cotta & Florentine Cookies
What a terrific line-up! I was just approved to join the Daring Bakers, so look forward to seeing what the March challenge is. Beautiful photos!
Susan´s last [type] ..Coast to Coast Coins Website reviews – Coin Collectibles
Love the quark idea – whenever it’s mentioned I always associate it with you! Looks delicious – fresh and light as well as creamy.
Emma @ Poires au Chocolat´s last [type] ..Panna Cotta and Florentine Roses
I love all three versions Deeba, but the pretty pink strawberry one has my heart.
Goregeous, as always! Those panna cotta look extremely exquisite and the cookies must be delightfully crunchy.
Cheers,
Rosa
Wow, awesome pictures as always! I am drooling.
zorra´s last [type] ..White Chocolate Ginger flavored Panna Cotta and Florentine Cookies for Daring Bakers
I make things with quark all the time, it makes even the heaviest desserts so much more lighter
Helena´s last [type] ..One Dough – Two Cookies – One Happy Teenager
Deeba, you take the simplest desserts and elevate them to gorgeous new heights. I love quark, thanks to you and Meeta I eventually gathered the courage to make it last year. This combination of quark, strawberry and tangerine sounds fabulous. Another challenge completed with flying colours
shaz´s last [type] ..Love conquers
Wowow i want to make like you, you come up with wonderful ideas, looks so so beautiful and yumm.
Happy Cook´s last [type] ..Vanilla Pannacotta with Mango Sauce Daring BakersChallenge February 2011
Beautiful pictures. I must try making quark.
Sarah Galvin (All Our Fingers in the Pie)´s last [type] ..A Giveaway!
Simply beautiful, and I imagine the quark helped cut down on the sweetness!
Wow!! I knew I definitely had to check out your post when I saw the title. I had no idea what quark was, but it sounds very intriguing!! I might have to try it! Great great job on your flavor combination, it sounds divine. The florentine cookies look great, too. I like that you used nutella on them instead of regular chocolate.
Yum Yum ………
Quite an amazing array of recipe can be seen in the forum. Love the photographs and the recipe is very tempting. This one is definitely on the make list.
Rituparna´s last [type] ..Pudding Pops
Thank you for sharing what quark is…I had no idea but have seen you mention it a lot. Your dessert turned out beautifully but I appreciate you sharing the not so perfect parts; the part that makes you human like the rest of us who might do the same thing…even if we have tons of experience and certainly know better!
Lovely photos but I expect no less Deeba!
Barbara | VinoLuciStyle´s last [type] ..French Onion Soup – with some Italian Style!
Deeba, you are truly amazing. Creative, talented, wonderful, inspiring… I want to come live in your kitchen.
All of your panna cotta look so amazingly wonderful and fresh and creamy and delicious. Chocolate, fruit… you do it all! And your photographs are stunning. As always. Really, really great job.
Shelley C´s last [type] ..February Daring Bakers Challenge – Panna Cotta and Florentines
My my.
First time I’ve visited your blog. Judging by the calibre of your photos, I get the feeling it won’t be the last. I’m impressed. Those are some seriously nice photos. Your version of the panna cotta sounds as great as it looks.
Not so won over by the orange pun though
hehe
Seriously, love the post. Nice work
Loks wonderful, D! It’s been so long since we spoke. Miss those chatter on twitter, emails and phone conversations. Hope you’re well.
Shaheen {The Purple Foodie}´s last [type] ..Taking Snickers to the Next Level
Beautiful photos, as always! I love your layering and the flavor combination you chose for both your variety of Panna Cotta. Nice job on the challenge!
The colors are amazing, your photos are beautiful and your panna cotta sounds absolutely delicious!
deeba these are so gorgeous love these contrast colors. stunning photogrphy as usual.
hats off to your florentine . mine were not so thin but they were delicious .
sadaf´s last [type] ..DBs Panna Cotta with Florentine Cookies
Absolutely gorgeous….and sounds so delicious. Have you ever tried a posset…I made one recently and it only requires 3 ingredients but sets like a panna cotta so good for vegetarians who don’t want to use gelatin.
I could certainly eat one of those right now, I like the combination of flavours and I LOVE the light in your photographs…thanks as ever!
Patricia Shea´s last [type] ..The Bees Knees revealed
That’s one gorgeous panacotta. Love the way you have layered the colors!
Simran´s last [type] ..Pretend Cannelloni
A great idea to use quark. I have to try it soon. And as usual, great pics
Bala´s last [type] ..Creamy Dreamy Crunchy & Sweet- Daring Bakers Challenge
I love the layered look…beautiful!
Sukaina´s last [type] ..Nutella Doughnuts
I love the way you’ve layered the colors….looks beuatiful!
Sukaina´s last [type] ..Nutella Doughnuts
Panna Cotta! Yes one of my fave desserts of all times. My last creation (Brunost Panna Cotta) was a huge hit! I love cheese based panna cottas so quark, ricotta and co. work really well. Love this paring here Deeba!
I look forward to your posts every single month – your flavour combinations, your presentation, your photos… are all amazing! xxx
I have to repeat the comment above. Amazing. Visiting here brings a smile to my face.
Thank You
Meena Thennaapan´s last [type] ..Pannacotta and Florentines – Daring Bakers- Feb 2011
Hello,
We bumped into your blog and we really liked it – great recipes YUM YUM.
We would like to add it to the Petitchef.com.
We would be delighted if you could add your blog to Petitchef so that our users can, as us,
enjoy your recipes.
Petitchef is a french based Cooking recipes Portal. Several hundred Blogs are already members
and benefit from their exposure on Petitchef.com.
To add your site to the Petitchef family you can use http://en.petitchef.com/?obj=front&action=site_ajout_form or just go to Petitchef.com and click on “Add your site”
Best regards,
Vincent
petitchef.com
Beautiful that is only word i want use. sure it taste delicious too.
Deeba, your panna cotta is beautiful!!!! I LOVE the swirl and the colours in the glass, and the crisp, vivid colour of the gelee on top. Your strawberry desserts always make my mouth water……………
Honey @ honeyandsoy´s last [type] ..Grape and moscato jelly panna cotta with honey and vanilla florentines
Ohh looks wonderful. Strawberries and tangerine is a great combo.
Joy´s last [type] ..Daring Bakers–Coconut Panna Cotta with Mangos
Both you and Meeta have convinced me that I need to make quark. It sounds so delicious!
Sharlene´s last [type] ..DB – Panna Cotta and Florentine Cookies
Oh wow, your pictures are gorgeous! The strawberry-tangerine quark panna cotta looks so beautiful and the heart shaped florentine cookies with nutella are divine! Excellent job!
I always love how much effort you put into your photos, they all look so beautiful!
Beautifully made, as always
Beautiful pictures! I’m sure the Panna Cotta and the cookies tasted great.
Sirius73´s last [type] ..Daring Bakers February 2011 Challenge – Panna Cotta and Florentine Cookies
God…awesome photos….lovely presntation and yum recipe….
Lubna Karim´s last [type] ..Dahi-Chawal Ki Tikki
These sure are pretty Deeba! Love the combo of the panna cotta and the cookies too.
Oh, dear Deeba, what an exquisite dessert that is SO perfect for me right now. Every February I have fresh tangerines in my garden and it’s prime-time strawberry harvest time where I live too. I’ll absolutely try this recipe this coming weekend and bookmark it for future years too.
Barbara @ Modern Comfort Food´s last [type] ..Strawberry Buckle Muffins
It has been so fun to see how everyone interpreted the DB challenge this month. As always, your photos really capture the beauty of your results. It all looks delicious!
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Seriously. Want. You. To. Become. My. Personal. Chef.
haha, love this recipe!
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I truly don’t think anyone does desserts & cakes like you do Deeba. Just beautiful> Panna Cotta has got to be one of my favourite desserts & I really love the colour integration in the glass., beautiful.
Anna Johnston´s last [type] ..On Behalf of The Chefs Network…
How wonderful to have tangerines on a little shrub. If only our weather allowed for that. Your panna cotta sounds and looks amazing. Great idea to fill the cookies with Nutella.
BarbaraBakes´s last [type] ..Daring Bakers
ah always stunningly gorgeous! Now I have to admit that I’ll take the chocolate espresso panna cotta any day, but JP would adore these fruity lower fat ones. I must try them for him. Absolutely wonderful. And I am amazed you misread a recipe and can see you staring into your oven in wonder and amazement at the lava. But what you ended up with is all you – fabulous!
You always come up with great ideas. Love what you did here. I decided to do the chocolate version with coconut florentines. Nice post as always!
Gorgeous collages! Cute verrines! Love your versions. Great post.
valerie
A Canadian Foodie´s last [type] ..Michael Schmidt- A Modern Day Canadian Hero Our Raw Milk and Food Freedom Advocate
I’ll bet there isn’t anything you can’t make look good! Beautiful!!
Amanda´s last [type] ..Menu Plan Monday
Hi Deeba, I noticed that Sarah (the second commenter) asked about the angled layers–that was my question, too. I assume you chilled the glasses on an angle, propped up by some carrots in the fridge, perhaps?
sarah, simply cooked´s last [type] ..The Language of Baklava- and muhammara
Hi Sarah, I should have answered this before. Here’s how I did the layering. I placed the glasses at an angle in a loaf pan, with a rolled up kitchen towel in one half {see pic}.
I dont think I’ve ever seen a prettier panna cotta. Such a lovely dessert!
Is there any way left to say that I love your blog, and the recipes, and the exquisite photos that you post? It’s a true inspiration, I have so many things to learn out of it!! Keep on doing the great job!!!!!
Kisses from http://cinnamonspicedart.blogspot.com/
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