Monday, October 4, 2010

PFB #3 The Luxury Dinner. My Search For Elegance. Mango Mousse, An Indian Panna Cotta. Plus Voting Is Now Open!

 
   Okay, I'll be totally frank here. Elegance, and me? Not often used in the same sentence. In my daily life I don't have many elegant experiences. I've spent most of my life working around men, first in Radio then as a Screenwriter. One picks up "habits." Yes, I cook. It's my passion, but when I cook, the sight is hardly elegant. Which is what I enjoyed about PFBs' #3 Challenge, or at least what I took to be my personal challenge: To put the elegance into the food and also to keep a calm, serene, non-sweaty exterior at the table after cooking it... well two out of three ain't bad.
    But I do love to think of elegance. It's like the cookie jar that sits on the top shelf. I want to stick my grubby little mitt in it, but it usually lands on my head with a thunk. So this dinner was a very therapeutic experience for me.
  One of the toughest things to deal with in planning any Indian dinner is... wait for it... The Dessert. Depending on the food and the spices involved, it can be a complicated process. One doesn't want anything to be too heavy, or too sweet after a duck main course, and yet one still must be elegant. The answer? Mango Mousse, the Panna Cotta of Indian desserts.
   The dessert works on a lot of levels. It's sweet enough naturally, because of the mango, so very little sugar is needed. It's a light blending of whipped cream, gelatin and egg whites that sets up quickly in the fridge and can be made several hours ahead of time, which takes one big load off the would-be-elegant hostess' mind. 
     Want to try this fast and simple dessert? Here's what to do.

    In a blender pulse together
     1 cup of mango
     1 tsp of ground cardamon
     1 Tbs of lemon juice
     2 Tbs of sugar (use less if your mango is sweet)
     Puree it all together.
   In two separate bowls whip
    2 egg whites
    1 cup of whipping cream
    Beat them both into nice peaks.
     Dissolves 1 and 1/2 packets of gelatine in 1/4 cup of warm water.
   Whisk it together until it's blended, then add it to the mixture in the blender and mix it up well.
   Make sure the gelatin is blended in well so your dessert doesn't get lumpy. That's not elegant.
    In one big bowl, fold all three ingredients together gently as though you were making a souffle.
      You can now put the mixture into individual small ramekins or bowls, or one large bowl.
   Tuck it into the fridge until it's set, about 2 or 3 hours.
    Then un-mold and serve.
   This makes a truly elegant end to any elegant meal. It's a dessert that is light enough that you won't be unbuttoning your pants at the end of the meal which, let's face it is not elegant.
   And my final word on elegance. By the time she'd finished her "dessert"...

...Patsy had removed all her "clothes"and fallen asleep on the dining room floor.
Clearly, she has a long way to go on the road to Elegance.
   
Now, about  Project Food Blog:
I made it to Round 3 in the Project Foodbuzz Foodblogger of The Year Competition. 
     So for anyone who hasn't heard about this before, what exactly is this Project Foodblog Contest and why do I want it so badly???
     Project Food Blog is the first-ever interactive competition where thousands of Foodbuzz Featured    Publishers are competing in a series of culinary blogging challenges for the chance to advance and a  shot at the ultimate prize: $10,000 and a special feature on Foodbuzz.com for one year
     Voting is now open until the 6 PM Oct. 7th and I'm trying to make the cut to the next round. Please register to vote on Foodbuzz.com (it's free!) or if you're already a member, do me a solid,  Click  HERE and give me a vote and help me make it to the next round.

8 comments :

  1. Mangoes in India are unparalleled...voted!

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  2. You definitely got one of my votes, too. I loved reading about your meal.

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  3. LoL...your dog is adorable, and the Panna Cotta looks divine, good luck in this round and you got my vote.

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  4. You know something Kathy I also work with mostly men and totally relate to your view on elegance! Dessert does look quite elegant though. Happy to see you still in the race. I've been voting consistently. Best of luck.

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  5. Patsy is a doll. Of course I voted for you. Best of luck!
    LL

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  6. Thank for the awesome mango dessert recipe, im hopeless with desserts so you are a lifesaver!

    your dog is so cute too!

    I will vote for you now ;)

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