COFFEE PANNA COTTA with Bittersweet Mocha Sauce

And Cappuccino Chocolate Chunk Biscotti


RETURN TO AFRICA – Part I


The blazing sun streams through the hazy oval of window and stretches across the book open on the small square of table in front of me as we dip down towards earth. The land below me rises upwards, offering me a carpet of geometric, well-defined, sharp-angled patches of cream, almond, caramel and toffee only broken here and there by the occasional vibrant, lush rectangle of jade or lime. A maddening deep, dark squiggle cuts a swath through the landscape like a drizzle of bittersweet chocolate, hinting of the Dark Continent. Mountains push up from the ground in craggy relief like some smart kid’s junior high science project giving form to the flatness that stretches out before me.


The plane dips once again, leaning in closer to the horizon as my eyes search for the ocean, the same ocean that kisses the scorching sand that reaches out to form the beach where I grew up somewhere far, far away, the other side of the world. The same ocean that batters the rocks off the Brittany coast where we spend holidays, the same waters that offer us plump crabs and tiny black bigorneaux that we scoop up and eat by the dozens back home in France. But catching sight of that deep blue body of water here seems unreal, as surreal as the backdrop of mountains everywhere I turn, mountains that are always there, unexpectedly, behind houses, beaches, vineyards, everywhere as if painted against the sky in some monstrous photographic studio and we are meant to turn around and smile at the camera. The image is jarring and makes my entire week seem an illusion, everyone acting a well-scripted part on some stage, the curtains parting as each change of scenery is wheeled into place, the lights raised or lowered, the wind machine snapped on or off, but all the while that wall of painted mountains looms over us.

I clutch anxiously at my good luck pendant hanging loosely on a thin silver chain around my neck and whisper my little prayer. This is all I have to hang on to, what gets me through these long hours above the ground, I who am terrified to fly yet so desperately want to travel. And here I am, back in Africa. I don’t often think of my other trip to this continent all those years ago, before I married, when I brazenly fled to Nigeria to be with someone I thought maybe I loved. I knew as soon as I landed that I loved another but spent enough time in that curious place, exploring that darkly dangerous country to feel a wide-eyed awe and mysterious fascination with all that is unknown, exotic, treacherous. But this new experience, this return to Africa, well, I knew that I would be in careful, safe, loving hands. And from all that I had heard, this Africa was rich in culture and fine food, gorgeous summer weather, sandy beaches and extremely happy friends.

Colleen and Donald, my wonderful, generous hosts, met this exhausted, bedraggled, woozy excuse for a food blogger at the airport, tucked me into the front seat (Wrong side, Donald!) and zipped off into a brilliantly sunny Cape Town summer day. Palm trees flew by me, beautiful palm trees waving gently in the breeze reminding me of Florida yet not, the car only slowing down as we approached their part of the city when suddenly a gorgeous vista opened up on my left: False Bay, a tiny cove-like beach and port upon whose rocks the Indian Ocean waves were crashing furiously. The Indian Ocean! Who would have ever thought that I would actually see the Indian Ocean with my very own eyes? Table Mountain loomed above on my right, growing ever closer as we pulled into their driveway, standing majestically, protectively behind their warm, friendly home.

Colleen & Donald, a stellar comedy team, fabulous entertainment
and the two most generous people I have ever met. Thank you both!

The two days leading up to the Indaba, the South African Food & Wine Bloggers’ Conference, was filled with activity as I tried to catch my breath. I spent one day with Colleen and family furiously filling goodie bags, organizing stacks of cookbooks and magazines, arranging boxes of wine that kept arriving at the door, oooohing and ahhhing over all the amazing goodies that filled her house from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, threatening to take over the Grove home completely, mercilessly. Colleen sat morning, noon and night at her computer, cell phone pressed to one ear, sucking on a never-ending bottle of water, her only sustenance, and trying to keep her nerves under control while tying up last-minute details. Her wonderful husband, ever cheerful even under pressure and the most trying of times, organized, ran errands, drove all over Cape Town in search of the last boxes of goodies and gifts, and proved himself totally indispensable, as passionate about this event as any dedicated food or wine blogger. And through it all, there were always perfectly mixed mugs of café au lait magically appearing for me on the kitchen counter.


Saturday I spent with Jeanne, Nick and family and friends out on Franschhoek in the Winelands, lunching at a lovely restaurant overlooking vineyards with the ever-present backdrop of mountains. The evening was spent at Nick’s mom’s home where he put together a wonderful braai for us and a couple of friends. We talked late into the night, the music from some distant concert enveloping us in the darkness, our own laughter filling in the spaces in between.


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 Nestlé Florentine Cookies. I, of course, long a panna cotta lover, chose to make a wonderful Café au Lait version of this luscious, creamy dessert with the addition of a fabulous Bittersweet Mocha Sauce drizzled over the Panna Cotta which created the perfect dark edge to the lovely, light coffee flavor of the panna cotta. As the Florentine Cookie recipe called for corn syrup which I have never been able to find in France I decided to add a crunchy side to the Panna Cotta with very Italian Chocolate Chip Cappuccino Biscotti. Here is to a wonderful week in Cape Town drinking perfect Café au Lait as well as many cups of bittersweet coffee swallowed one after the other on the plane down and back up as well as several to kick start my old routine once I returned to Terra Firma and home.


I was honored to be interviewed by the very cool people at Chudleigh’s, the apple farm and bakery outside of Toronto. Hop over to their Chudleigh’s Blossom Blog to read my interview!

Don’t miss the latest developments over at From Plate to Page! We recently announced and introduced our newest sponsor: Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board who is generously partnering with us at From Plate to Page so we can make this the best hands-on workshop for food bloggers, writers, stylists and photographers ever! And our latest guest post is from fabulous food stylist and creative director Robin Zachary who lets you into her… Prop Closet.

And one more thing: I want to thank each and every one of you who took your time to go to the Blogger’s Choice site and vote for Life’s a Feast. Yes, I am nominated for a Blogger’s Choice Award in the category of Best Food Blog. If you enjoy my blog and haven’t yet voted, I do hope that I can count on your vote! And know how very much I appreciate it!


Stay tuned for Return to Africa – Part II.

COFFEE PANNA COTTA with Bittersweet Mocha Sauce


1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon (8 g) unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups (750 ml) whipping cream (whole fat heavy cream)
1/3 cup (80 ml) honey
1 tablespoon (15 gm) granulated sugar
pinch of salt
2 tsps instant espresso powder or more to taste

Prepare 6 to 8 ramekins or individual bowls or demitasse cups. If you want to be able to turn the Panna Cotta out of the bowl or ramekin, run the bowl under cold running water, pour and shake the water out but do not dry.

Pour the milk into a medium-sized saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over the milk. Whisk quickly and lightly just so it is all wet and then allow to sit for 5 minutes. This softens the gelatin. Place the saucepan over medium heat and, whisking gently, allow the milk to heat until it is hot but not boiling, 5 more minutes. The yellow shiny splotches of gelatin floating on the surface will disappear when the gelatin is completely melted/dissolved.

Add the cream, honey, sugar, pinch of salt and 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder to the hot milk and continue to heat, stirring, until the honey, sugar and espresso have dissolved. Taste and add more espresso powder if you desire a stronger coffee flavor.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool for several minutes. Whisk to combine well before pouring into the glasses, bowls, cups or ramekins. I always find it much easier to pour the liquid into a glass or Pyrex measuring cup with a spout and pour from that instead of directly from the saucepan.

Cover each bowl or ramekin with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or, ideally, overnight.

A half hour or so before serving, prepare the Bittersweet Mocha Sauce. Once the Sauce has been made and chilled, serve the Panna Cotta, each drizzled with the Sauce and a Cappuccino Biscotto or two.

BITTERSWEET MOCHA SAUCE

2 ounces (60 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, or more to taste
¾ cup (200 ml) heavy whipping cream
2 tsps instant espresso powder
1 Tbs to ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar to taste

Coarsely chop the chocolate and place it in a small saucepan with the heavy cream, the espresso powder and 1 tablespoon sugar. Heat very gently over medium-low heat, whisking or stirring, until the chocolate, sugar and espresso have all melted and dissolved. Taste, adding sugar until desired sweetness. Remove from the heat, allow to cool for a few minutes, stir again and pour into a glass measuring cup, bowl or jar and refrigerate until just cool enough to serve over the chilled Panna Cotta.


CAPPUCCINO BISCOTTI WITH CHOCOLATE CHUNKS
Makes 25 to 30 biscotti


2 cups (280 g) flour
¾ cup (150 g) granulated white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
Rounded ½ tsp ground cinnamon, optional
1 rounded tsp instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder
Rounded ½ cup (3 ½ oz, 100 g) mini chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Cinnamon-sugar for dusting, optional

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking/cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and the vanilla extract.

In a large mixing bowl, blend the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and coffee powder/granules and whisk together or beat with an electric mixer on low for 20 or 30 seconds to combine well. Stir in the chocolate chips or chunks.

Whisk the eggs until blended and whisk in the vanilla. Pour this over the dry ingredients and, using a fork or wooden spoon, stir until all of the dry ingredients are moistened and begin to pull together and form a dough. Scrape out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead very briefly until you have a smooth, well-blended dough. Do not add in too much flour, just enough that this sticky dough can be handled.

Divide the dough in half. With floured hands on the lightly floured work surface, form each ball of dough into a log about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Carefully transfer the logs onto the prepared baking sheet spacing them about 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart to allow for spreading.

I sprinkle the surface with granulated sugar and ground cinnamon which gives the final, crispy outside of the biscotti a sweet, cinnamony touch.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until firm to the touch. They should have puffed up and spread out a bit. Remove from the oven – do not turn the oven off – and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Transfer the logs, one at a time, to a wooden cutting board. With a good, serrated knife, cut each log crosswise on the diagonal into ¾ inch (2 cm)-wide slices. Cut slowly and carefully to avoid the biscotti breaking or crumbling.

Arrange the slices on the lined baking sheet cut sides up (you can place them close together as they will no longer spread) and bake for 10 minutes. Open the oven and flip all of the slices over, slide back into the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

These can easily be stored for days and days in an airtight, preferably metal cookie tin.

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TANGY PEANUT-SAUCED CHICKEN AND PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP BISCOTTI

PEANUT BUTTER, FOOD FOR THE SOUL

"The small brown mouse named Ralph who was hiding under the grandfather clock did not have much longer, to wait before he could ride his motorcycle. The clock had struck eight already, and then eight thirty.

…Ralph observed the boy with interest. He was the right kind of boy, a boy sure to like peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. Since the day Keith had left the hotel, Ralph had longed for crumbs of a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. Ralph could not understand the boy's behavior. He had often heard other young guests wearing the same kind of white T-shirt speak of a place called camp, but unlike this boy they always sounded eager and excited about going there. Ralph did not know exactly what a camp was, but since medium-sized boys and girls went there, he thought it must be a place where people ate peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.

…The desk clerk summoned old Matt, the elderly bellboy and hotel handyman, to show the family to their room. As Matt picked up their suitcases and led the way to the elevator, he said to Garf, "Well, young fellow, what are you going to have for breakfast tomorrow? Apple pie or chocolate cake?"' Matt, who was not always popular with parents, was always liked by children.
The boy smiled faintly at. Matt's joke as he followed the old man into the elevator. What that boy needs is a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, thought Ralph."

- Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary

"Sapristi, Milou! Guess what the BSI is for this week!"

Scrumpdiliumptious, She says…

Peanut butter was an integral part of my childhood; how many afternoons found me perched in the branches of the tree in the front yard, book in one hand, peanut butter sandwich in the other? Peanut butter was my culinary playground, the foil for oh so many different flavors. I experimented often, playing around with texture and taste, savoring each unlikely combination: spread and layered with sweet, soft bananas and salty, crispy potato chips, or sandwiched between white bread pressed up against slices of salami or bologna or pickles, or simply gooey and sticky on white bread, using fingers to push clumps off the roof of my mouth, or melting smooth and unctuous on warm toast, and peanut butter on matzo got me through the Passover week. Peanut butter snuggling down into the smooth groove of a branch of celery seemed oh-so grown up when I was a kid, the sharp crack then the crunch of the green vegetable, a mouthful of cool followed by the creamy is something sensual and refreshing like lying on sheets and feeling the warm breeze flutter over your body. Peanut butter and jelly, grape or cherry, the jelly was always secondary, just another flavor to highlight the peanut butter and, more often than not, I simply forewent the jelly. Creamy or crunchy, depending on my mood, hopping from one brand to another, ever-changing like my temperament, even going through my all-natural, 100% pure peanuts phase. Yet the need – and the taste - for peanut butter stayed with me, through childhood as I explored my emotions and my tastebuds, the two ever linked in a holy embrace, through my college years, comforting me when I needed comforting, a way to travel home when nostalgia yanked at my heart, through my adulthood, a way to pull me to a warm, culturally reassuring place.


Peanut butter is such an emotionally charged food. There is something so primal about it, bringing out the best – or the worst – in us, turning us back into children, purring in all of our innocence, sighing with wide-eyed delight, or growling like some beast from a deep, dark netherworld battling something fanged and evil. In other words, either one loves it or despises it with a passion. My mother bought the stuff for us but couldn’t stand it herself. The smell alone made her get up and leave the room, grumbling under her breath. I have one son who loves it, eating sandwich after sandwich, a purist at heart he’ll eat it no other way, and one son who wants nothing whatsoever to do with it. My husband dislikes it and refuses to see the attraction, but, then again, he’s French, so what does he know of peanut butter?


And curiously, dogs love the stuff. We got such a huge kick out of feeding spoonfuls of peanut butter to our English setter, Peewee, when we were kids, laughing uproariously as she struggled to eat it, her tongue glued to the roof of her mouth. And I discovered that it brings out the wild animal in Marty: this photograph is witness to the fact. Snapping pictures of peanut butter to illustrate this post, I inadvertently forget the open jar on our dining room floor. A bit later as I was in the kitchen preparing to make the biscotti, I heard horrible, utterly disgusting slurping noises coming from the other room. What in the world could it be? Put my head around the corner and found Marty up to his globular eyeballs in my very expensive jar of Skippy, lapping it up for all he was worth. Egads! Lucky for me I had a second unopened jar!


Peanut butter is extremely versatile and can be used in both sweet and savory treats; from cookies to sate to pies to curries to, well, basically anything. Kim at Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet is this week’s Blogger Secret Ingredient host. She has decided that peanut butter is our BSI. Yay Kim! Great choice! I have made not one but two wonderful recipes using peanut butter, one sweet for snack time and one savory for a great meal.

Let’s start with the savory:


TANGY PEANUT-SAUCED CHICKEN
From my Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook (this is meant for ribs, but I prefer cooking chicken at home)

Chicken pieces (I bought enough for 4 of us: 2 leg-thigh sections and 1 breast filet, skin on)
¼ cup hot water
¼ cup peanut butter
2 Tbs lime juice
2 Tbs sliced scallions or spring onions
½ tsp grated fresh ginger
¼ tsp cayenne pepper


Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Trim excess skin and fat off of the chicken pieces. I separated the legs from the thighs. Line a large baking pan with foil.

Put the peanut butter in a small saucepan and gradually stir in the hot water until smooth. Stir in the lime juice, spring onion, grated ginger and the cayenne. Cook over low heat until warmed through.

Brush the chicken pieces on both sides and lay them on the foil-lined baking tray. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until cooked through to the bone.


Serve with the rest of the sauce, warmed to thin, in a small bowl. Delicious!


And now for the sweet, to calm our biscotti yen (click here and here to see my other biscotti):


PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP BISCOTTI

2 ¾ cup flour
1 ¾ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup peanut butter
¼ cup water
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (I used mini chips)
1 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts (optional)


Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

In a large mixing bowl, blend the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Stir in the chocolate chips.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the water and the peanut butter until the peanut butter is “melted”, thinned and smooth. Whisk in the eggs.


Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and, using a wooden spoon, stir until all the dry is moistened and you have a dough. Biscotti dough is fairly wet and sticky, but it should be dry enough to easily pat into a log shape. Knead briefly in a bit of extra flour until homogenous and smooth.


Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Divide the biscotti dough into two and pat into two long logs, about 3 inches wide. Place on the baking sheet and pat and press into shape.


Bake in the preheated oven for 35 – 40 minutes until lightly browned and set in the center.

Remove from the oven without turning the oven off. Allow the biscotti to rest for 10 minutes.

Carefully slide the logs off the baking sheet onto a cutting board. Using a sharp bread knife, slice each log on the diagonal into even slices about ¾-inch wide.


Lay as many cookies as will fit on the baking sheet, cut side up. Bake for 10 minutes, pull out the tray and carefully flip each cookie over. Pop back in the oven and bake for an additional 8 – 10 minutes until golden brown. Repeat with any cookies that didn’t fit in the first time round.


Cool on a cooling rack before eating. These are best eaten dipped in a cold glass of milk or a cup of coffee.

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CHOCOLATE CHIP CAPPUCCINO BISCOTTI (a folk ballad)

HOME ON HER RANGE
(sung to the tune of Home on the Range, preferably with a banjo strumming along)

“Oh, give me a home
where my Furkids can roam
and where I can stay cozy all day.
Where the snow is up to my ears,
For 10 months of the year,
And the sky rains Biscotti all day.

Home, home on the range
Where Ira and the cats love to play,
Where the cupboard is packed, with good things it is stacked
From my good friend who’s so far away…”

In the past several months, I have made a handful of very close friends via the internet, a Sisterhood of like minds, passions and cravings, fueling laughter and calming tears. I find it difficult to believe that I have not always been friends with these bright, funny, caring women.

One of these friends is a Pioneer in the truest sense of the word; living in the snow-bound wilderness of a northern state a mere stone’s throw from the Canadian border (“I can see Canada from my house!”), huddling up at night with her pets under handmade quilts in front of a blazing fire, she grows her own food, chops her own firewood, builds her own furniture, shoots and skins moose with her bare hands… uh, no, sorry, that last one is someone else (well, you-know-who would have made a much better choice if he had chosen my friend for VP).

Completely self-sufficient, more than a little stubborn, she refuses failure and would rather do things by herself or at least do things her own way. And once she starts something, there is no turning back. Car broken? She walks or bums rides from her neighbors (but only if she must) until she can buy the piece and fix the damn car herself. Or she doesn’t go anywhere. Need shelves? Firewood is chopped, measured, cut and fit. If she needs something, whatever she needs, she learns how to make it herself.


She is an outdoorswoman extraordinaire, naming trees and plants, growing fruit, taming animals, hacking her way through the surrounding wilderness in summertime and battling the harsh winters using only her wits, her muscle and her hardheaded determination. And we all marvel at her gorgeous photos of the nature around her, the nature at her feet.

And she is extremely warm hearted, caring and good. Many of us have felt her reach out through her computer screen – virtually, spiritually, emotionally – offering kind words, sage advice, heart-felt encouragement, coaxing out stories and feelings in order to sooth our fears and make us laugh. She is wiser than she would ever admit to and funnier than she’ll take credit for.

And in return, she has received as she has given. I have offered what I can, sending boxes of chocolate and listening when she needs her own comfort and advice. We distract her with laughter when we know she is down and truly marvel at her many talents.

And I know her weaknesses : She loves chocolate. She loves coffee. She loves biscotti.

And if I could walk across the ocean and the miles of land that separate us to bring her these Cappuccino Biscotti, there is no doubt in the world that I would. I would fix the coffee as she stoked the fire and we would sit down together for Biscotti, coffee and a nice long chat.


CAPPUCCINO BISCOTTI
Adapted from the Joy of Baking website

This is a combination of all of Pioneer Woman’s favorite things : biscotti delicately flavored with coffee and a hint of cinnamon studded with mini chocolate chips.

3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups (280 g) flour
¾ cup (150 g) granulated white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
Rounded ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 rounded tsp instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder
Rounded ½ cup (3 ½ oz, 100 g) mini chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking/cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and the vanilla extract.

In a large mixing bowl, blend the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and coffee powder/granules and whisk together or beat with an electric mixer on low for 20 or 30 seconds to combine well.


If using mini chocolate chips, blend into the flour mixture now.


Gradually add in the egg mixture and beat until a dough forms. If using larger chocolate chips, stir them in now.


Turn the rather sticky dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead very briefly until you have a smooth, well-blended dough. Do not add in too much flour, just enough that this sticky dough can be handled.


Divide the dough in half. With floured hands on the lightly floured work surface, form each ball of dough into a log about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Carefully transfer the logs onto the prepared baking sheet spacing them about 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart to allow for spreading.


I sprinkle the surface with granulated sugar and ground cinnamon which gives the final, crispy outside of the biscotti a sweet, cinnamony touch.


Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until firm to the touch : (I have found that baking them for the longer time will give you less tender, crispier biscotti. I baked mine for 35 minutes and the biscotti were fully cooked at the end but more tender than they usually are.)


Remove from the oven – do not turn the oven off – and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Transfer the logs, one at a time, to a wooden cutting board. With a good, serrated knife, cut each log crosswise on the diagonal into ¾ inch (2 cm)-wide slices. Cut slowly and carefully to avoid the biscotti breaking or crumbling.


Arrange the slices on the lined baking sheet (you can place them close together as they will no longer spread) and bake for 10 minutes.


Open the oven and flip all of the slices over, slide back into the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool. This will make 20 to 25 biscotti.


These can easily be stored for days and days in an airtight, preferably metal cookie tin.


My Taste Tester had one for breakfast the day after I baked them. After taking a bite, chewing, savoring and swallowing, he said “Really good! And Cappuccino is exactly the word for them. They taste just like a cappuccino.”


Ah! Here’s to you, my very dear friend, Pioneer Woman!

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