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Cauliflower "Panna Cotta" With Beluga Caviar

Time3 hours
YieldsServes 12
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Panna cotta, a traditional Italian dessert of cooked cream, is a perfect example of a familiar dish that can be reborn. Perhaps the simplest of all the custard-like desserts, panna cotta is made by sweetening cream, cooking it and then setting it with gelatin. But take away the sugar and the dessert label, reduce it to its fundamental principle--gelled cream--and panna cotta blossoms into countless new versions.

This is an excellent panna cotta because the cauliflower’s delicate flavors are heightened by the cream. A salty, elegant garnish of caviar makes it a simple but extraordinary canape.

From the story: Pudding gets a rewrite

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1

Oyster juice is used for the layer of jelly covering the “panna cotta.” To make it, shuck the oysters and carefully reserve any juices from them. Strain the juice through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl and add the oysters. Pour 1/4 cup of water over the oysters and refrigerate them, covered, for several hours or overnight.

2

Cut the florets of cauliflower vertically through the stems into 1/2-inch slices. Spread the cauliflower evenly in a 3 1/2-quart saucepan and add the butter and 1 1/2 cups of water or enough water to come just to the top of the vegetables (they should not be submerged). Simmer over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by about half and the vegetables are fairly tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Add the cream and simmer to reduce the cream and completely cook the cauliflower, another 30 minutes. The contents of the saucepan should measure 2 cups.

3

Blend the cauliflower and cooking liquid in a food processor until completely smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer or a chinois. There should be about 1 1/2 cups of the puree. Add salt to taste.

4

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of gelatin over 1 tablespoon of cold water; stir and let soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Warm half the cauliflower puree over medium-low heat until it barely simmers. Stir in the softened gelatin until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining puree.

5

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the “panna cotta” into the bottom of each small serving bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour to set. This can be done several hours ahead.

6

Remove the oysters (discard them) and strain the juice. You will need 1/4 cup of oyster juice. Place the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of gelatin and 2 teaspoons of water in a small metal bowl set over a pan of hot water. Stir constantly to dissolve the gelatin. Remove the bowl from the heat and add the oyster juice. Stir again to be sure that the gelatin and juice are completely combined. Add about 3 grinds of pepper. Place the jelly in the refrigerator and stir occasionally until it has thickened to the viscosity of salad oil and the bits of pepper are suspended in the liquid, about 1 hour.

7

Coat the tops of the chilled “panna cotta” with 1 teaspoon of the jelly, rotating the bowls to ensure an even coating. Return to the refrigerator to set, 30 minutes.

8

Before serving, garnish the top of each “panna cotta” with a “quenelle” of caviar: Lightly drag the edge of a teaspoon across the caviar, collecting it in a smooth shape resembling a football. This may take some practice to get right. If it’s too much trouble, no one will complain about a simple 1-teaspoon mound of caviar.

Many professional pastry chefs prefer sheet gelatin to the more commonly available granulated gelatin. If you can find it (check stores that sell cake-decorating equipment), four sheets equal one (1/4-ounce) package of granulated. Whichever you use, panna cotta should have a distinct body to it but should offer no resistance on the palate. It should almost give the sense of melting on your tongue.

Keller is chef at the French Laundry in the Napa Valley. He and Michael Ruhlman are co-authors of “The French Laundry Cookbook.”