White Pizza with a Twist

It was a rare Friday night.  Both kids were home and eating dinner with us, so it had to be something special but ordinary all at the same time.  My kids aren't big fans of some of my more complicated endeavors, so I tried to keep it low key.  I had planned on making two simple pizzas - pepperoni and white - but then I stopped in at the grocery store.  Pancetta was on sale. Hmmm...do I dare disturb their version of what a white pizza should be?  Yep.  So I bought it, as well as a few other things and headed out toward home.

I decided that the White pizza should have spinach and pancetta on it as well as the usual white pizza toppings, so first I pan fried the pancetta until crispy and set it aside.  I spread out my pizza crust (that had just finished up in the bread maker - love that yeasty smell!) fairly thin on the pizza sheet and then spread minced garlic over the crust and spread ricotta cheese over the whole crust..  After that, I grated fresh Parmesan over the garlic, and then added a layer of mozzarella.  I used frozen chopped spinach (that I had thawed in the microwave) and sprinkled it over the cheeses.  Then I topped it all off with some pancetta.  It all smelled heavenly!  I put it in a preheated oven at 375 for about 12 minutes.  It came out bubbly and golden and we couldn't wait to grab a slice!

The pepperoni and mushroom pizza was also pretty good, but the white pizza went really, really quickly.  I think we could have eaten another one.  It is definitely a make again pizza.  But to top the whole meal off, I included a dessert of Panna Cotta made with Almond milk. I have been really wanting to try it and finally just had to give it a go.  Worst that could happen was it would fail, right?  And I made a homemade caramel sauce to go with it.  I was excited because my daughter didn't get a chance to try the panna cotta last time I made it so it was her first try.  She said it tasted like ice cream - and I guess it does.  It has about the same components of ice cream so that makes sense.  So the almond milk was not an epic fail as I'd feared.  It was not as creamy as using milk and cream but it had the same basic taste, but not as heavy.  It was a nice everyday dessert, but not the special, once in a blue moon dessert I'd previously made.  Looks pretty yummy though, right?

All in all, it was a great Friday night pizzafest.  And hubby and I needed the carb load before we headed out to run our long run of 16+ miles the next day, so it was a win-win for all.  I love having meals with my kids.  Makes my world complete, even if just for a few minutes.  :)

First attempt at Panna Cotta and I'm hooked.

Oh my goodness.  I really had no idea what I was in for when I decided that I, once and for all, had to try to make Panna Cotta.  I've never eaten it, never made it, and never seen it outside pictures on other blogs but it just had to be done.  And, I am so glad I did.  The texture was so creamy, so custard-like that it was unlike anything else I've ever made.  Heavenly is the best word I have to describe it. 

I found a recipe on Allrecipes last night, and even though it was my first time, I changed it.  I'm reckless like that.  It just seemed like an extraordinary amount of cream for one recipe.  So, I read the comments and decided to chance it and cut the cream in half with milk.  Guess what?  Perfectly fine.  No complaints here! 

So, here's my recipe:

1/3 cup skim milk
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Mix gelatin and 1/3 cup of skim milk together and set aside in separate bowl.  Bring cream, sugar and milk to a full boil over medium high heat.  Stir often and supervise well because it will boil high quickly.  Once boiling, add gelatin and milk mixture and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. 

Remove from heat, add the vanilla and put into small bowls or ramekins. It should make 6 dishes.  Cool uncovered, and then put plastic wrap over them to prevent skin from forming on the top and refrigerate until set.  This should take 4-6 hours, or overnight is best. 

I served mine with fresh blackberries and blackberry sauce but I imagine there are endless possibilities to consider.  I am ready to start really experimenting with flavor combinations...but first, maybe I'll just have another Panna Cotta.  I'm just glad the recipe makes 6 and there's only 4 of us in the family.  Someone has to be the taste tester after all.