Yesterday I had a couple of my friends over for lunch. I made Ina Garten's Greek Panzanella - a recipe I have made many times, and for dessert I made panna cotta in strawberry soup with thyme - a recipe mostly of my own that I've also been making for years.
We chatted about The Goldfinch. I just finished reading it yesterday morning, my jaw tense and my head aching from strained eyes. I have blown off much of everything for the last four days and nights, this story took all of me along with it. I will give nothing of it away in case you have not read it, but I will tell you that I loved it very much even though it gave me tears and anxiety and bizarre dreams.
We chatted about life and about gardening, of course. We swapped seeds. Speaking of, my seed starts have all sprouted; little green toothpicks with whales tales. Inside, the light is spilling in throughout the day, casting a soft glow on everything. And around five in the morning the robin's have begun chirping.
To say we're all so grateful for the longer days and warmer weather feels shallow to what we feel deep inside. I keep reminding myself, you can wake up now; you can stretch now.
Panna Cotta in Strawberry Soup with Thyme
Panna Cotta
(adapted from Williams-Sonoma)
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup milk
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla paste (or pure extract)
In a medium bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the milk. Set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and sugar. Cook, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until small bubbles appear around the sides of the pan. Slowly add the cream mixture to the milk and gelatin mixture, stirring until smooth. Add the vanilla.
Divide the mixture among four 4 oz. ramekins. Cover and refrigerate for as long as five hours or overnight. (I always make a day ahead.)
Strawberry Soup with Fresh Thyme
3 cups of fresh strawberries, greens cut off
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine (sparkling works too)
1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. heavy cream
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
Put all ingredients except for thyme in a blender and blend until smooth, or like "soup".
To serve, run a knife around the sides of the ramekins to loosen the panna cotta. Turn panna cotta's out in a shallow bowl. Spoon soup around the panna cotta and top with fresh thyme.
Serves four.
