A Lotta Panna Cotta

This of course has no bearing on anything I’m talking about this week. It’s just a dessert I made the other night for a particularly fussy friend. He’s an Italian gentleman with particular tastes and strong opinions, the sort of fellow who doesn’t hesitate to say things like “This is excellent, though I would have preferred…”. It takes some serious stones to be that kind of dinner guest, and what’s not to love about that? I take a lot of pleasure in his company and the challenge he presents. Though it probably wasn’t the smartest idea in the world to go serving an Italian dessert to a discerning Italian. Fortunately he liked it.

If you’re curious I used this recipe by Mario Batali, but without the flashy macerated strawberries in balsamic vinegar (which I agree with the reviewer’s husband, is not in the true spirit of panna cotta, and might well have earned me a lecture).