smooth, boozy, crunchy and sweet... february's daring bakers treat...

well... it's that time of month again... the day in which the daring bakers secret is revealed... and what sweet treats i have in store for ya'll... this month's challenge was hosted by ms. mallory from the deliciously inspiring blog "a sofa in the kitchen"... her sweet challenge was a creamy panna cotta and to contrast the smoothness of this treat she also challenged us with some crunchy, crispy oatmeal florentines...

i've never made a panna cotta before, but a few months ago i had bookmarked one that i came across while i was blog stalking... it was a play on the delicious cocktail, the white russian... and i knew i had to make it... for two reasons... #1. the hubs is a huge fan of the dude's signature cocktail (you do know who the dude is right... the duder... el dudarino... you better get the reference)... and #2. i thought it to be sort of a sophisticated dessert to make for a dinner party... but i had to also wanted to make a non-boozy version, so i went with pineapple and blueberry... something to make me dream of summer...

as for the florentines, i kept them simple... nice and buttery, crunchy and complimented with a rich dark chocolate ganache... they went deliciously with my morning coffee... and oh man, were they simple to make... and just as easy to devour...

florentine's (adapted from nestle)

ingredients:
2/3 cup butter
2 cups quick oats
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light or dark corn syrup
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

directions:
1. preheat oven to 375 and line baking sheets with silicon mat
2. melt butter in medium saucepan then remove from heat... then stir in oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla extract and salt... mix well
3. drop by teaspoon full, about 3 inches apart, onto lined baking sheets
4. bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown, cool on baking sheets on wire racks, peel gently from the mats
5. drizzle or sandwich the cookies with ganache
6. enjoy the sweet crunchiness...

panna cotta (giada's vanilla panna cotta)

ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon (one packet)unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt

directions:
1. pour the milk into a bowl or pot and sprinkle gelatin evenly and thinly over the milk (make sure the bowl/pot is cold by placing the bowl/pot in the refrigerator for a few minutes before you start making the Panna Cotta)... let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin
2. pour the milk into the saucepan/pot and place over medium heat on the stove... heat this mixture until it is hot, but not boiling, about five minutes (whisk it a few times at this stage)
3. next, add the cream, honey, sugar, and pinch of salt... making sure the mixture doesn't boil, continue to heat and stir occasionally until the sugar and honey have dissolved 5-7 minutes
4. remove from heat, allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly... then pour into the glass or ramekin
5. refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight

for the kahlua gelee (from my baking obsession):

ingredients:

1 ounce vodka

3 ounces kahlua

1/2 tsp. gelatin

directions:
1. pour the vodka into a small bowl or a cup and sprinkle the gelatin over, let soften for a couple of minutes

2. heat in a microwave oven for about 10 seconds on high until the gelatin is dissolved (or dissolve it by placing the cup with the gelatin into a hot water bath)

3. add the Kahlua, whisk to combine

4. divide the mixture equally between glasses or ramekins (which ever you are using), and place into the fridge until set before topping the gelée with the panna cotta, for at least 1 hour

here is a small vanilla panna cotta with some pineapple gelee... you can't really see it but the very top of it has a slice of pineapple... it kind of blended in... i guess if you look closely you'll see the three layers... it was truly light and refreshing...

and here it is topped with a strawberry puree... mmm.... sinfully sweet...

thanks for the challenge mallory... and as always... happy baking :)