Crema Cotta—And Hold the Cream

 

Crema cotta is the Italian name for cooked cream.  In texture it’s very smooth and similar to a custard or pudding.  In flavor, that is totally up to you.  It depends on what extracts, fruits or nuts you choose to incorporate into the basic ingredients.  Of course, it’s also delicious with only a hint of vanilla or touch of spice.

Traditionally, the crema is poured into individual ramekins, chilled and unmolded over a sauce.  I first tasted this smooth concoction in an Italian restaurant in the Provence region of France.  It was pure white with a rich vanilla flavor.  Olivo’s Italian waiter told me about it.  He carefully unmolded it onto a bed of fresh glossy raspberry sauce, and added a sprig of mint.  It was my first crema cotta experience, and my recollection is that it was pure ambrosia!

There are numerous recipes for this dessert.  And, unfortunately for the diet conscious, they all begin with fresh heavy cream.  I knew there had to be a slimmer version—perhaps one with milk instead of cream.  This would make it lighter, and definitely more healthful than the traditional Italian creation.  I also knew that I could be the person to come up with a good one—and I did.

Once I tried using skim milk, and another time low-fat milk.  After a few more tries with different flavors, I came up with the perfect proportions and ingredients.  Now I’ll be making it more often since my last effort was such a huge success.  Our guests thought so too since they inhaled it.  Next time I’ll make them a double recipe.

My recipe is also very flexible.  You can use just about any fruit or flavoring to make crema cotta a beautiful and showy dessert.  Chocolate can be added if you’re serving a chocoholic crowd.  And in our present economy, you can trust the Conservative Cook to come up with a delicious and frugal dessert.

Individual ramekins are fine; however, to speed up the process, I poured the mixture into a 1-quart Corning Ware dish.  It’s a lot quicker to serve than fussing with the ramekins.

A few serving suggestions:  Add a little powdered cocoa to the hot milk, and splurge with a topping of prepared whipped cream.  Finish it with a few chocolate shavings.  Or, add a citrus extract to the milk, some fruit zest and serve it with a dollop of bottled lemon curd instead of the whipped cream.   Also, fresh or frozen raspberries could be added for a different flavor and color.

One of my favorites is the orange below.

Orange Crema Cotta

3 C low-fat 2% milk

2 t powdered gelatin

½ C sweetener (I used Splenda)

1 t pure vanilla extract

1 t orange zest

Pinch of salt

Orange shreds for topping

In a small bowl, moisten the gelatin with 3 or 4 tablespoons of water to dissolve, and set aside.  Heat the milk, Splenda, vanilla and orange zest in a saucepan.  When it comes to a full boil, add the salt and the gelatin and stir well to combine.

Pour the mixture into the baking dish, or divide it among four ramekins.  Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming on top.

Chill several hours to set.

If using a baking dish, scoop out four servings into dessert glasses, top with a dollop of whipped cream and a few orange shreds.  To complete the presentation a sprig of fresh mint is nice, but not essential.

If you have more time and choose the ramekins, you can serve them right to the table with a topping, or unmold each one onto a serving plate.  For this method, carefully place the ramekins—individually—in a pan of warm water to dislodge the bottom.  Then gently run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen the filling and invert onto the plate.  Then continue with the topping. One more suggestion:  Drizzle some chocolate sauce on the plate first, place the crema on top and add a few chocolate flakes.  Chocolate is delicious combined with orange.

The bottom line is:  Any way you serve it, it will be a hit!

Enjoy!

©Pauline Boren 2010