Pannacotta W/ Poached Plums

On Labor Day, I made a late lunch for our dear friends from business school, Dave and Alison, who were out visiting from Washington D.C. They are true foodies, a pleasure to dine with-- Dave can recount every trip they have ever been on meal by meal, often course by course! However, they are also a challenge to cook for--Dave is allergic to many things, including all dairy, and Alison is 5 months pregnant, so has to avoid all things unpastuerized or raw, and also has a slug of allergies as well. So crafting the menu took some thought but I think it came out well without being too obviously devised.

For starters, I served some munchies from the farmers market-- duck pate, olives, salami, hummus & pita. For the first course, I riffed on a salad Chris had a few weeks ago at a restaraunt here that we love. It was grilled peaches with a few slices of serrano ham, goat cheese, and frisee. The flavors were fantastic together, so for lunch I wrapped some grilled peach slices and a chunk of goat cheese in thin slices of prosciutto, and served it on some baby greens, and drizzled it all with a bit of Balsamic. (no goat cheese for Dave). The flavor combinations were fantastic--salty, sweet, tangy, sharp--and it came out beautifully with all the colors. Unfortunately I was so caught up I forgot to take a picture of it! And it went so fast, by the time I remembered, it was all gone!


For the main course, I made the famous Zuni Roast Chicken with Bread Salad. I'd made the chicken before, but this was my first time with the Bread Salad, and as Dave closed his eyes to eat it and muttered "divine", I knew I had a hit. The crusty bread with the chicken drippings and the currants and pine nuts was so delicious!

Then to dessert... the pannacotta. It came out so silky and delicous, I was thrilled with the outcome. What a perfect summer dessert! Instead of the balsamic strawberries (Alison is allergic), I saw a poached plum preparation (from a tart recipe in Food & Wine) that I thought would be delicious with the panacotta-- and I have to say it was a fantastic match. The tangy aromatic syrup from reducing the poaching liquid was absolutely delicious drizzled onto the silky pannacotta. And both the plums and the pannacotta were done well ahead of time, so it was a snap to serve. This combo is definitely going into the entertaining repertoire-- great choice, Kaoru.

Here is the recipe for the plums in case anyone is interested:

Poached Plums
(by Nina Planck from Food & Wine Aug '06)
2 cups fuity red wine, such as Beujolais or Zinfandel
1/2 cup sugar
6 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick, broken
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
6 medium puple plums (~ 2 1/4 lbs), pitted and wedged into 1/8s

In a large skillet, combine all the ingredients except the plums. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add plums and simmer over moderate heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer the plums to a plate; let cool to room temperature. Boil the liquid until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 10 minutes. Strain the syrup into a bowl.