I’m one of those people who orders dessert when no one else wants any. People don’t order dessert, I think, because they’re ready to leave their present company, or because they prefer to enjoy their sweets in solitude. And I guess some people don’t actually want it. I don’t know whether these insights are right or wrong, but they are all very reasonable things. And for some reason, none of them ever deters me from ordering alone.
I had ordered a dessert in a restaurant a couple springs ago (not that I haven’t since then) under similar circumstances and received whatever that evening’s special was. It had a strawberry creamy something with a lime granita and a basil foam. It was all very restaurant moderne, and though my dinner companion was probably ready to go home—she had not ordered dessert—this one was too good, so I tucked in. I appreciated her forbearance, but not so much I was going to share more than a bite or two of my new-found treasure with her.
Food can trigger all sorts of memories, and it may be a testament to the contents of my brain that when I saw strawberries and basil at the market last week, my first recollection was not of this friend or of that particular event, but of my dessert. I guess we’re all about the food here at MF.
The dessert below involves no foam or frozen things (both of which remain outside of my repertoire — for whatever reason I’ve never much liked very cold food), but it did manage to include the strawberry/lime/basil marriage which I find so remarkable. And one of the best things about eating at home is that you can order whatever you want, no awkwardness necessary.
Basil panna cotta
adapted from The New York Times
neutral oil like grapeseed or canola | 1 big bunch basil (or 2 small ones) | 3 T lime juice | ½ cup sugar | pinch salt | 3 T water | 1 envelope gelatin (0.25 ounces) | 2 cups whole milk | 2 cups heavy cream
Oil 8 little ramekins or coffee cups. (I used the latter.) Place the basil in a bowl and sprinkle with the lime juice, sugar, and salt. Stir. Let it sit for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, place 3 T water in a small bowl and sprinkle with the gelatin. Let this sit for 10 minutes.
Add cream to basil and stir, crushing up the leaves a bit.
Heat the milk in a medium pot until barely simmering, then add the gelatin + water and remove from heat. Stir until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Then pour in the cream, basil, sugar mixture, stir well, and crush the basil against the side of the saucepan to extract as much flavor as possible. Fish out the basil and wring out as much additional liquid as you can. (If it’s not too hot, you can use your hands for this.)
Ladle the liquid into the ramekins or coffee cups, cover, and chill for at least 4 hours. Will keep for 2 days. May be unmolded (run a knife around the edges and dip bottoms in hot water for a few seconds) or served in ramekins. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Strawberry lime compote
1 pint strawberries | lime | sugar
Slice strawberries (or just halve them). Sprinkle with lime juice and sugar to taste. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 8
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That looks absolutely fantastic!