Three Things

2 desserts for a crowd + 1 cute swimsuit

Hiiiiiii! Wow! Hi! So much is happening all the time. For example, you can find your nearest No Kings protest on 6/14 here. For example, Sandwich came out in paperback and is a Barnes and Noble pick for June! For example, my parents are not getting any younger, if you know what I mean. For example, our Birdy graduated from Mount Holyoke College, and we enjoyed an absolute glut of celebration.

Because we live locally, the lovely families of her lovely friends all came here for dinner the night before. I scaled up a bunch of favorite simple recipes to feed 30+, including this chicken; this tofu; and this potato salad (all of it made the day before). A friend made the Indonesian Rice Salad from Moosewood, and it was delicious. I made a dead-simple green salad (local greens + vinaigrette), put out a huge bowl of popcorn with paper cones for portioning and shakers for topping (nutritional yeast, Old Bay, curry powder), served veggies and dip in all the jars I could scrounge up.

Things in my life had been going a little sideways, and I’d said to Birdy at some point, “I’m maybe just going to order pizza,” and she said, “That’s fine. Nobody cares.” But I actually really wanted to make the food, and I’m glad I got a chance to.

For dessert, I did the same desserts I’d made for Ben’s college graduation party three years ago: Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Compote and (vegan) Pots de Creme with Raspberries, both served in 4-ounce paper cups. These are desserts that each take approximately 5 minutes to make, I am really not kidding, and that can be made up 2 days ahead of time. They’re hugely crowd pleasing, each very creamy and rich but served in a relatively tiny portion. I’m directing you to the original recipes too, so you can make these in regular amounts should you not be feeding a crowd.

This picture makes my jaw cramp.

Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Compote
If I could only eat one dessert for the rest of my life, it would be this.

Start by making the rhubarb compote: slice 6 large stalks of rhubarb and put it in a pot with a splash of water and 1 cup of sugar. Cook over medium-low heat, covered, until the rhubarb is simmering, then cook, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb has turned into something like a thick sauce. This takes around 10 minutes, but it will obviously depend on how much rhubarb you have, etc. Taste it for sugar. It should be sweet and tart. If it’s only tart, add more sugar—up to another cup or even more. You want this to be a tangy counterpart, but not sour. Pour it into a lidded container and chill until fully cold.

The panna cotta itself is based on this Splendid Table Recipe, but scaled up.

4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (I think this is 2 packets, but I can’t quite remember)
5 tablespoons cold water
8 cups heavy cream (use pasteurized, homogenized supermarket cream for this)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sour cream

Arrange 30 (4-ounce) paper cups or glass jars or ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and leave it while you warm the cream. Pour the cream into a large pot, then add the sugar, salt, and vanilla, stir well, and heat over medium heat until hot but not close to boiling. I don’t know how you’re really supposed to know when this is. I just stick my finger in it? I think it takes about 10 minutes. Scrape in the gelatin mixture, then stir until dissolved. Turn the heat off and let it cool for 10 minutes.

Put the sour cream in a large bowl and whisk in the warm cream, a little at a time, until it’s all combined and smooth.

Pour this mixture into a pitcher (you’ll probably have to do this in batches), then fill each cup 3/4 full. Cover the whole tray of cups with a long piece of wax paper and chill overnight. Just before serving, top each cup with 1 tablespoon of the chilled compote, shaking the cup a little to distribute it. Yum. (You could of course just use fresh berries or a dab of jam or whatever for topping—but I have an unholy and jaw-cramping obsession with rhubarb.)

(vegan) Chocolate Pots de Creme with Raspberries
Both of these desserts are gluten-free, but this one is also vegan, which is very useful for vegans (duh) and folks who can’t eat dairy. But don’t let that trick you into thinking it is anything other than the most decadent and velvety chocolate dessert, with a texture halfway between pudding and butter. It’s scaled up from the recipe above, which comes from Liana Krissoff’s wonderful cookbook Vegetarian for a New Generation.

1 (24-ounce) bag semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I like Ghiradellli)
6 cups (4 cans) full-fat coconut milk
3/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt (or a little more)
2 half-pint containers of raspberries

Arrange 30 (4-ounce) paper cups or glass jars or ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.

Put all the ingredients in a pot and heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture looks uniform. Cool for 20 minutes, then blend with an immersion blender until frothy.

Pour this mixture into a pitcher (you’ll probably have to do this in batches), then fill each cup 3/4 full. Cover the whole tray of cups with a long piece of wax paper and chill overnight. Just before serving, top each cup with 3 or so raspberries. Yum.

Okay, the last thing is this swimsuit, which Carve Designs sent me in the hopes that I would write about it, and here I am writing about it, because it’s so cute. I especially love the back, which you can see online—very criss-crossy and flirty. I tend to go for solid black or navy? But I’m glad to have this cute print. Plus, the fabrics are recycled and sustainable, and the suits are ethically manufactured. I would actually buy this if I didn’t already have it.

Okay, sweethearts. Enjoy yourselves as much as you can! Love your people to absolute bits. xo