Red, White and Blueberries

Red, White and Blueberry

A cool, refreshing summer treat made with vanilla panna cotta, watermelon and blueberries!

Ingredients: 8 medium servings

White layer -
 
1 pint heavy cream
2 tbsps sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 pkg gelatin

Red layer - 

2 cups pureed seedless watermelon (to set up properly do not run blender on high or overly aerate mixture)
1/4 c sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 pkg gelatin

Blue layer - 

1 cup blueberries
2 tbsps sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon juice

How to - Start early in the morning or make up the night before, all the layers need time to set up.

For the white layer - 

Pour 3 tbsps of cold water into a 2 cup glass measuring cup. Pour 1 pkg of gelatin on top and let set up. On the stove top, gently heat the heavy cream and sugar. When there is a slight steam coming off the cream it's done. DO NOT BOIL! Add the vanilla, stir gently and then pour into the gelatin.

Stir the mixture to blend the gelatin in. Pour equal amounts into 8 dessert cups. (I used clear glass to see the colors.) Pop in fridge to set up, about 2 hours.(It's easier to do this if you put the cups on a small cookie sheet before pouring the panna cotta in.)

Make the blueberry sauce next. 

Heat blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a pan until boiling nicely. Boil one minute, remove from heat, add vanilla. Set aside to cool.

When vanilla layer is set up make the red layer. Puree the watermelon a little at a time to keep from frothing. (Plus, watermelon is the hardest thing I've ever tried to puree! It just gets stuck on the blades and sits there!) It takes about 1/2 of a small watermelon to get 2 cups of puree.)

Set the puree aside, add the lemon juice to it. 

Add 3 tbsps of cold water to another 2 cup glass measuring cup. Pour in gelatin, let set up. 

In a pot on the stove top (the same one from earlier, you have washed it by now, right?) boil the sugar and 1/4 c of water until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes.

Cool the sugar mixture until it is just warm, then pour into the gelatin. Stir. Skim any foam off the watermelon puree and pour the puree into the gelatin mix, stir. (If the sugar mix is too hot the gelatin will 'die' and it won't set up properly.)

Pour the watermelon mix on top of the vanilla panna cotta. Let set for another couple of hours.

Add cooled blueberry mixture and serve.

This actually took longer for me to type up than it takes to make other than the setting up times.

White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main Street Freeport, Maine 04032

www.whitecedarinn.com