The Must-Make Summer Dessert!

Make-head! All you have to do is serve!

One of the fun things about being in France, is taking advantage of all the produce I couldn’t get in L.A., like rhubarb! And on the off-chance we did see it at one of the higher-end grocery stores, it would be just a few spindly stalks, and wildly overpriced.

Just look at these beauties! Although a bit green on top, as the season is on its way out, they look WAY better than the sad rhubarb we’d get in L.A.!

But not here at my local market! It’s beautiful and plentiful, and even though the rhubarb season is on its way out, I was able to buy up enough stalks to make a “fruits rouges” topping for this week’s panna cotta recipe.

Although I missed the peak of the rhubarb season, I’m making room in my fruit baskets for all the fantastic stone fruit that is now available (I know I’m in France when the apricots are practically the size of peaches!)

And the flavor is just delicious! They are great sliced in half and sprinkled with sugar. Then placed on the BBQ until warm and tender. Serve with vanilla ice cream for an easy summer dessert.

What’s Fruits Rouges?

In the summertime in France this concept of “fruit rouges” seems to be everywhere! You’ll find it topping desserts, but also flavoring yogurt and even cough drops?!

“Fruit rouges” is typically a combination of all the red fruits of the season, but my favorite combination is rhubarb, strawberries and raspberries. Trust me each fruit plays their part and contributes to this utterly delicious topping, providing a slightly tart, utterly refreshing balance to the rich, and creamy panna cotta below.

What’s the secret to a great panna cotta?

It’s the gelatin sheets. I’ve spent years trying to crack the panna cotta code, experimenting with heavy cream, half and half, more cream, and a splash of milk. It never seemed to come out like “restaurant quality” panna cotta until I went to an Italian Cooking School in Tuscany and learned the secret.

All cream + gelatin = an otherworldly panna cotta. Seriously, worth bragging rights!

While you could try powdered gelatin (1 tablespoon (15 ml) for every 2 gelatin sheets) I think the sheets work better to create a smoother, richer texture)

Here in France gelatin sheets are sold in the baking aisle of any grocery store, and I think the French have also been in on this little secret for some time as seen on the slogan of the gelatin package which reads “Le roi de panna cotta, c’est moi”, which translates to “The king of panna cotta is me.” Enough said.

It’s worth buying the gelatin sheets on Amazon, because it makes all the difference, and just because you can’t find it at your local Ralphs shouldn’t be the reason to leave it out. You’ll notice the difference!

There’s a wide variety of gelatin sheets to choose from with different strengths, but the Silver variety here will do the trick (This link goes to Amazon where I am compensated on products sold at no additional cost to the consumer)

Watch the Video Demo Here

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Next week, we’ll tackle shopping at the French grocery store (A.K.A The Grocery Store Olympics!) A bientôt…! xx Beth