Vanilla Custard: Ada Boni's Recipe

Vanilla Custard
This is for an Italian style custard perfect for a Trifle, Zuppa Inglese or Baba. It is from one of my favorite cookbooks: Ada Boni Italian Regional Cooking.
Ingredients
5 egg yolks
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (Ada called for vanilla powder)
1 rounded teaspoon flour
rind of 1 lemon
2 1/4 cups milk
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
Scald milk by heating up just almost to boiling in microwave, 1 minute/high.

Mix egg yolks, sugar, flour, and vanilla over a double boiler. Add lemon rind and stir in milk gradually beating a wooden spoon.
Cook until it thickens but do not let it boil. It will be smooth and thick but not quite as thick as commercial pudding.
Add butter and stir into the custard.
Remove from heat and discard rind.
Cover with plastic wrap right on top of custard to prevent a skin from forming and allow to cool & thicken up in fridge,

Panna Cotta (Italian Custard)

This is from my Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentis. I like this dessert because it is perfect for a party, you can make it ahead and have them resting in the refrigerator just waiting to be topped with some fresh berries! Think of it as the Italian version of Creme Brulee or Flan. But unlike Crème Brûlée, Panna Cotta is very simple to make due to the gelatin.

Panna Cotta
Giada De Laurentiis
SERVES 6
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon gelatin (unflavored)
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 cups assorted fresh berries
• Place the milk in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.
1. Pour milk mixture into a heavy saucepan and stir over medium heat just until the gelatin dissolves but the milk does not boil, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the cream, honey, sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Pour into 6 wine glasses so that they are 1/2 full. Cool slightly. Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours.
4. Spoon the berries atop the panna cotta and serve.

Espresso Panna Cotta
Giada
½ cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 heaping teaspoons instant espresso powder
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 small white chocolate bar, for garnishing
1 small dark chocolate bar, for garnishing
Place the milk in a heavy, small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over and let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. Stir over medium heat just until the gelatin dissolves, but the milk does not boil, about 2 minutes. Add the cream, espresso powder, sugar, and salt. Stir over low heat, until the sugar dissolves, about 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Pour the cream mixture into 2 martini glasses, dividing equally. Cover and refrigerate, stirring every 20 minutes during the first hour. Chill until set, at least 6 hours and up to 2 days.
When ready to serve, use a vegetable peeler on the chocolate blocks to create about 1 tablespoon each of the white and dark chocolate shavings. Sprinkle the shavings over each panna cotta and serve.