Panna cotta, cherry and champagne parfait (aka creamy, boozy, fruity Jello)

layers of cream, fresh pureed cherries and champagne adorn this simple, beautiful parfait

 Can I tell you a secret?  I love Jello.  Slurping fluorescent red goop between my teeth is pure pleasure.  I eat less Jello now than I did in college, but my obsession was so great that my friends bought me a whole Jello cookbook after graduation.  This is just one of the hidden junk foods that I love.  I am a total food snob with a private occasional hankering for all things processed, salty and neon colored-- I could never turn down a bright orange cheese puff. 

Call this dish what you want, panna cotta with champagne gelee, but let’s not hide the truth.  Think of it as a fancy creamy, cherry flavored Jello shot.  The recipe is very light and refreshing in this horrible heat. 

The parfait is very easy to make, it just takes some time because each layer must set before the next can be concocted.  The first layer, panna cotta, which I had never made before, tastes almost like ice cream without an ice cream maker and couldn’t be simpler to whip up.  Fresh bing cherries are not as fluorescent as red food coloring, but they are certainly more delicious.  Champagne makes a great gelatin dessert; make sure to add a pinch of sugar to help bubbles form as the parfait sets for the final layer. 

Panna cotta, cherry and champagne parfait (inspired the French Laundry cookbook)

9 inch loaf pan

pitted bing cherries to top

Panna cotta

1 packet gelatin

½ cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cherry layer

1 lb bing cherries, stemmed and pitted

2 ½ tbsp sugar

1 ½ packets gelatin

¼ cup champagne

juice of one lemon

Champagne layer

2 cups champagne, divided

3 tbsp sugar

1 ½ packets gelatin

To make the panna cotta, sprinkle gelatin over milk and let sit 5 minutes.  In a saucepan over medium high heat, bring cream and sugar barely to a boil.  Remove from heat, add gelatin and vanilla extract and whisk until all ingredients are combined.  Add mixture to loaf pan and allow to cool and set, at least one hour.

Cherry layer.  While panna cotta is setting, in medium bowl break up cherries with hands.  Add champagne, lemon juice and sugar and allow cherries to release juices for at least half an hour.  Add cherries and juices to blender and blend until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Strain mixture.  Sprinkle gelatin over ¼ cup water and allow to sit for five minutes.  Bring cherry puree to a slight boil, remove from heat and add gelatin.  Pour mixture over already set panna cotta and allow to cool and set, at least one hour. 

Champagne layer.  Over ½ cup champagne, sprinkle gelatin.  Bring 1 ¼ cup champagne to a boil with 2 tbsp sugar to cook off alcohol.  Remove from heat.  Add gelatin and whisk until combined.  Add final ¼ cup champagne and 1 tbsp sugar (this will make it bubble).  Quickly add to loaf pan and allow to set, preferably overnight. 

When ready to serve, loosen parfait from the sides of the pan with a sharp knife run along the edges.  Run the bottom of the pan under warm water for one minute and carefully invert onto platter.  Slice and enjoy with fresh cherries. 

The end of bliss--with blissful white wine sangria

The end of bliss.  The fizzle of time with friends, relaxation, swimming pools.  No more absence of alarms, afternoon naps, 2am chats.  It’s time to WORK!  I know, I’ve been a doctor for a month now, but I feel as much of a doctor as Antarctica is tropical.  Besides freaking out on planes, or getting really worried about massive neurological injury from the keg stands and back flips witnessed at the pool as a paranoid, Advanced Cardiac Life Support certified physician, I’ve become a stumbling, blubbering idiot.

Well no longer! Sure, I’m going to be just as big a know-nothing as ever, but with my long, beautifully buttoned, clean white coat with my name with MD emblazoned on the breast, hopefully I can fool somebody.  I am in complete denial about the changes that are about to happen in my life; I have no true understanding about how my internship will shape the way I practice medicine and dictate my hobbies and habits. 

Orientation starts tomorrow morning.  I feel like my intern class is at the beginning of a car race.  Our engines are roaring.  We aren’t moving yet, but we are about to take off, deliberately hovering our feet over the gas pedal ready to fly the second we’re told to.  We’re hoping that after each lap we haven’t spun out, flipped over, or caught on fire. 

The program director muffles into the bullhorn “Ladies and gentlemen…gear up your specula” and we’re off, taking care of the women of Dallas county, one pelvic exam, C-section and ultrasound at a time.   You’ll see the track marks of my sneakers as I bolt down the hall.   The onlookers--the nurses, older residents and attendings watch and anticipate with a mixture of excitement and complete horror.

The finish line is far away.  All I know is that whatever happens in the next four years, it will be an experience I won’t soon forget.  Thanks to everybody for getting me this far, and I’m sorry for my grumpiness that will surely come.   To celebrate my last day of freedom, I made a large pitcher of white wine sangria.   It’s sweet and refreshing with a bit of a punch to dull the pain and anxiety I’m about to endure…and cools you off even in the hottest of days.

White wine sangria

2 bottles sweet cheap white wine (we used Reisling)

1/3 cup sugar

3 stone fruit diced (peaches, nectarines, plums)

1 mango diced

1 orange diced with peel

½ lime diced with peel

soda water

ice cubes

Mix wine, sugar, fruit and allow to sit for a few hours.  Serve over ice with a splash of soda water.