Orange Flower Water Panna Cotta

When the plates were cleared, we sat languidly at the table of the beach house, each rubbing his belly with satisfaction. Our annual trip to the coast was going well. We'd had a day of bright beautiful sun and with light streaming in the windows, and we'd cooked an Indian feast for our friends. It was time to cap off the night with something creamy to cool our palates.

I'd come up with the combination a few days before when planning the feast, and though it wasn't exactly the right culture for the perfume, I knew orange flower water would be right. I brought out tiny cups of orange flower water panna cotta and served them with nests of kataifi and pistachios. It was just enough to put us all over the top.

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A
Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta
from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

I varied the cookie to be more appropriate for the panna cotta I'd made - I wanted to mimic Mallory's idea of a crunchy and creamy combination, but I thought that the florentine would be a little too heavy for the soft orange flower water. After spending a little time at a neighborhood Persian market, I came home with kataifi, shredded phyllo dough - and I knew exactly what to do.

That dinner proved me right. Another round of oohs and aahs was followed by silence and then the laughter when we each started to lick the glasses clean and hunt for toasted kataifi threads to nibble on. We'll revisit this combination again.

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