Panna Cotta Fail, Mango Lassies Forever!

Yesterday B's parents informed us that they were going to have company today. They had invited over some friends from the coastguard aux. I volunteered to make a dessert.

I bought Chef Michael Smith's cookbook a while back, and it has this great lower fat panna cotta recipe. I have made it before, and it turns out great!

Well, it usually turns out great, I should say.

I followed the recipe, and started the milk heating. We had a bunch of strawberries that really needed to be used up, so I thought I'd add them in, pureed, to make it a strawberry dessert. This, perhaps, was not my best idea ever.

It looked ok, but I used my immersion blender to puree the berries, and it made it all foamy. That wasn't right, but not a big deal.

I added the gelatin, and while scraping out the bowl to get the last of it I neglected to turn off the burner, or stir the concoction. OOPS! I think I may have curdled the milk. FIRED!

I poured it into the greased and waiting ramekins, and stuck them into the fridge to set.

I took them out today, and was not exactly pleased. The curdled milk solids and the strawberry fragments had all settled on the bottom, which became the top once they were turned out. The texture was terrible. The rest of the liquid was like sweet bizarrely colored jello. Pretty gross. It reminded me of congealed fat. It was so bad that we threw it all away, and I was in such a hurry to flush it that I didn't take any pictures. You're not missing much.

So, to redeem myself (and still provide a refreshing lunch dessert) I decided to try out mango lassies. I looked up a recipe online, here it is. This recipe should be gilded in gold!

BEST. DRINK. EVER!

You can make all manner of Lassies, as shown on the above link. A friend told me he had one made with rose water, and so I looked specifically for that ingredient. SO glad I did! The Cardamom was a great addition too.

I whipped them up while the company was just arriving, poured them into individual glasses, garnished them, and put them in the fridge to chill.

The texture was so thick and creamy-silky. The mango flavor came through fresh and sweet, with the rose water a flowery background taste brought out by the earthy cardamom. They were a huge hit with everyone! I want to make every possible variety of this! And it's so healthy! You don't even have to add the sugar, or you could sub in some honey. I am beyond excited about lassies!!!

As a finishing touch to the party, just to prove to myself I was still capable of making edible kitchen fare, I tossed together a batch of my roasted red pepper hummus. It turned out great, and was well-liked. Phew!

Not quite sure what's in store for dinner tonight. Then, it'll be off to work for me and B!