Food Props on Sunday, part 5-Odds end Ends (yet again on Monday)

Apart from the now habitual "I'm sorry for the delay", I would like to begin with saying Thank You for all the nice comments and emails you have sent me (I have even been offered a collection of vintage linen and beautiful handkerchiefs by a fantastic reader, the generosity I encounter here on Lucullian is astounding!), I really appreciate them all and it has made the Food Props on Sunday (hmm Monday) series a pleasure to do. This is my last installment but you have four more from my guest bloggers to enjoy and then there will hopefully be a full roundup of Show Us Your Food Props at the beginning of July, I have already received one entry so send me yours too, you have until the 4th of July to send me a link to your blog post to luculliandelights AT gmail DOT com.

So let's begin with this last post of mine about food props, this week I am doing Odds and Ends, you know the kind of things you can use in a food shot just to give it a bit of colour, a seasonal setting, a particular atmosphere or just add some sense to it all. Napkin rings are a good way to add a certain style and so are coasters, they can be put together to form interesting patterns and textures. Ceramic tiles are also great, one of my future projects is to make backgrounds with them on boards, I think they will make fabulous make-believe walls and and table tops. You don't need to buy many tiles if you just use them on a small scale, I'm sure you can get odd ones cheap from the right shops.

Then we have ribbons and ropes and threads. Old ones, new ones, coloured or patterned, they can be real savers sometimes, adding a little colour or picking up some colour of the food or the plate you are using. I'm sure you have seen photos where ribbons are used, tied around cutlery and glasses, or in biscuit 'parcels' or in other ways. A straight ribbon that is laid out perpendicularly from the camera can also add depth to the photo and there are lots of other ways of using them for this purpose.

In this photo you can see a small collection of things that I sometimes us to add interest or atmosphere to my photos; flowers, real or fake can be a pretty addition, dried leaves and fruits are also nice. Take a look around your home or why not someone else's home and you will see lots of things that you can use in your photos, just get into the food photographers or prop stylist frame of mind and start looking!

And here are the last photos of some knick-knack that I keep at hand in case I need it, it is strange how much I manage to keep at hand, well stashed away, and probably will never be used but who knows? Maybe one day I am standing there needing just these things...

Come back on Sunday to see the food props of my first secret guest blogger!

Food Props on Sunday, part 1
Food Props on Sunday, part 2
Food Props on Sunday, part 3
Food Props on Sunday, part 4

Here we go again....

I'm very sorry but Food Props on Sunday will have to wait until Monday, all my fault, bad timing and guests for lunch which has resulted in a complete delay of my Food Props on Sunday post. Probably better for you that I write it tomorrow.... oh yes....

ALMOST TOO EASY RICOTTA MOUSSE WITH CHOCOLATE AND STRAWBERRIES - My Recipe For Happiness

Sometimes we need to to create or re-create moments of happiness, sometimes you just feel a sudden wave of happiness, a realization of how happy you really are in that precise instant. Maybe there are people walking around in a constant state of happiness but I am certainly not one of them. Neither do I want to be like that because I treasure those moments so much. I remember how used to feel happiness bubbling in the pit of my stomach when I galloped across a field on a horse when I was 10-11 years old and since then, I often think about what fine gifts those moments are. I can't say that I felt it that much these last 4 years since my parents died but now and then I can feel a wave of happiness flush over me and that makes me even happier now when they are rarer.

But when we need a moment like that in times of stress or emptiness, there are ways to create it on our own; a nice spot to sit down on, a soft pillow, something beautiful to look at or a sweet, soft and luscious treat can make the difference. I wanted to participate in my sweet friend Giulia of Juls Kitchen's Recipe's for Happiness event (you can win prizes!) so I decided to make a dessert for those moments when you feel the need to re-create happiness and I decided on ricotta and strawberries, throwing in some chocolate because we all know how good it is to make you feel happier. Softness, sweetness and a hint of something dark and exotic-my recipe for happiness!

ALMOST TOO EASY RICOTTA MOUSSE WITH CHOCOLATE AND STRAWBERRIES
4 servings

250 g/ 8,8 fresh ricotta
200 ml/ 0.85 cup fresh cream
3-4 tblsp sugar
3-4 tblsp chocolate flakes
fresh strawberries, sliced

- Press the ricotta through a finely meshed sieve into a bowl, add sugar and stir very well.
- Whip the cream until it is stiff but softly stiff if you know what I mean.
- Add a tablespoon of whipped cream to the ricotta and mix well, then add the rest and stir until completely mixed.
- Add the chocolate flakes and mix quickly.
- Spoon into small bowls, top with the strawberry slices and eat!

OVEN-BAKED EGGPLANTS WITH PESTO

This is the simplest recipe you can think of really and I wouldn't be surprised if many of you already makes it regularly - eggplants with pesto that you bake in the oven, can it be simpler and better than this? And you can go really creative the pesto and make the one you personally prefer because eggplants are like empty canvasses waiting to be painted upon, the better the canvas, the better the painting so choose them with care. Right now you can find baby eggplants or small ones and I like these a lot because there are usually less seeds in them. Not that it matters that much to me if there are seeds but if I manage to buy eggplants without them, I'm happier for some reason, maybe I feel like an expert food buyer or at least knowledgeable in some obscure way.





OVEN-BAKED EGGPLANTS WITH PESTO

eggplants, any size goes
pesto, store bought or home-made
salt
extra-virgin olive oil

- Divide the eggplants in two length-wise and make criss-cross cuts in them with a sharp knife.
- If the pesto isn't very salt, press down some salt in-between the cuts before you spoon the pesto over the eggplant-halves. Open up the cuts and let the pesto drip down into the cuts so that the eggplant can absorb it as much as possible. Add as much pesto you like and can take and leave a thin layer on top of the halves as well.
- Put the eggplants in an oven-proof form that you have greased slightly with olive oil and bake in a pre-heated oven (200°C/390°F) until they are soft and golden, I can't give you an exact time as it depends on how big eggplants you use.

Food Props on Sunday, part 4-textiles and more. (this time on Monday)

As promised, here we have the fourth part on Food Props on Sunday, one day late but that's the way life goes now and then. Today I want to talk about textiles and some other materials that aren't textiles. Fabric is a great prop, you add colour and you add textures to your settings and you don't even need that much of it plus that fabric is easy to store. Tablecloths, table mats, kitchen towels, napkins or just a spare piece of fabric, all textiles that are easily found and easy to use. I have a stash of fabrics I have collected over many years because once upon a time I used to sew clothes for me and the children, I recently remembered them and dragged them out from their nook in the attic; some are large pieces and some are leftovers but they all will come in useful one time or another I'm sure of that.

Tablecloths can be really beautiful too and you don't need big ones either, ask your mothers and relatives if they have any they can donate to you or just borrow them for a while if you don't have much space. Old linen ones can be fantastic with the right light, they have such a beautiful shine to them... Go easy on the loud patterned ones as they could draw the attention from the food and the rest of the setting but if you have plates that goes well with it, give it at try, remember that our eyes see things differently from a camera eye, it's three-dimensional against bi-dimensional and you never can tell in advance how things works.

Kitchen towels, I have loads of those in different colours, patterns and shapes, they are great when you want to put a bit of fabric under a dish to add more colour or interest to a shot. And if the kitchen towel is big enough, you can use it as a tablecloth in the photo. Or as a background even. And when you are fed up with them or need some, you can use them in the kitchen so no waste of money and that goes for tablecloths and napkins too. You can get fabric cheaply from thrift shops and fabric shops where they sell left-overs from fabric rolls (I'm sure there's a name to it but I can't remember which) and don't forget upholstery shops where they sometimes sell or give away out-of-sale fabric sample books (or whatever that is called! Help!).

Then we have table mats or place mats, really great props because here you find lots of interesting textures, patterns, colours and materials and they can really make a photo so much more interesting. I love the bamboo ones that you can make rolls of and I have several made of wood, they make a slightly less soft image but I think they are great props. Not to forget plastic ones or the usual textiles table mats!

Napkins are to food photography what scarves and hand bags are to fashion photography, great accessories! The addition of a napkin next to a plate and a fork makes table setting and a crumbled napkin tells a story! Or whatever way you like using them. You can use fabric ones and here as well you can ask your mothers and relatives if they have any odd ones and thrift shops are definitely a good place where to find them. And obviously the usual shops as well. You can also use paper napkins and here you can find almost anything you can imagine, colours, patterns and sizes-there's no end to the choice. I buy a packet and save say four napkins and then I use the rest of them when we have guests or need some fun colours.

I'm sure I have forgotten some aspect but this will have to suffice for now. You mustn't forget to Show Us Your Food Props though. Write about and show us your own food props in any way you please, it can be only photos, you can tell us which ones are your favourite ones or just give us useful tips about how to find or make great food props! Blog it, link back to any of the Food Props on Sunday posts here on Lucullian and send it to me at luculliandelights AT gmail DOT com with your name, the name of your blog and the url to the blog post and I will include you in the roundup that is planned for the 4thof July! Please remember to put Show Us Your Food Props in the subject line so that I don't spam your email.

Food Props on Sunday, part 1
Food Props on Sunday, part 2
Food Props on Sunday, part 3

Food Props on Sunday will be Food Props on Monday this week

Due to unforeseen events, I am unable to post my fourth part Food Props on Sunday now so it will have to wait until tomorrow, Monday!

COCONUT RISOTTO WITH FRESH CHERRIES

The idea to this coconut risotto came to me or I really should say, was served to me by one of the photo editors on whose list I am and who are sending me photo requests about once a week. Last week this particular photo editor asked for a photo of a coconut risotto or at least a very white risotto so out I went to get myself a couple of coconuts for the shot because I didn't have anything like it in my archives. I didn't have the time to make a really good coconut risotto that day but I felt that it was something I really would like to explore further and to share with you. I used fresh cherries but I think a really good cherry jam would be even better maybe. (BTW, she bought one the photos! The photos here are not those)

COCONUT RISOTTO WITH FRESH CHERRIES
3-4 servings

150 g/ 5,3 oz risotto rice
1 knob of unsalted butter
500 ml/2,1 cup coconut milk and water (50/50)
50 g/1,75 oz coconut, freshly grated
2 tblsp sugar, or more if you like it sweet
1 small pinch of salt
fresh cherries, finely chopped
maple syrup or honey
or just use a nice cherry jam

- Melt butter in a pan and then add the rice, fry it gently for 1-2 minutes and then start adding the coconut milk-water about 3 tblsp at a time, stirring all the time and and adding more of it when it has been absorbed.

- When you are half ready add the sugar and the grated coconut and continue to stir.
- Mix the chopped cherries with a little maple syrup or honey.

- When the rice is cooked, let it be nice and creamy, creamier that in the photos, put the risotto into small bowls and top with cherries and a few coconut flakes.

EGGS ON A SIMPLE ROMANO BEAN SALAD AND QUINOA

You know, I have forgotten several times now to tell you that the new issue of Bron's Magazine is out and that I have two recipes in it! To be honest, she makes such great recipes herself that she doesn't need any collaborators but I was truly happy when she asked me. I have also forgotten to tell you that I will be the photo judge of a recipe competition over at Jul's Kitchen, I'm doing just a small part so please check it out, she is such a nice blogger that you can choose between reading her posts in English and Italian, imagine that! Do go there, there are great prizes to be won!

OK, having said this, I really have to get going here as I am getting a ton at a time of the wood pellets for next winter's heating this mornings so I am running between the computer and the place where we store it. We have put in more than three tons already but we still have a few to go so I better hurry up here.

Taccole or Romano beans or Italian string beans are definitely worth trying if you can find them. Here in Italy they are obviously not difficult to find them so I try to cook with them now when they are on the market. This is one way of using them:

EGGS ON A SIMPLE ROMANO BEAN SALAD AND QUINOA

boiled eggs
quinoa, cooked. About 100 ml/ 0,42 cup per person
Romano beans
hard cheese, I used Asiago but use any kind you like
whole grained mustard
runny honey
mild vinegar
salt
extra-virgin olive oil

- Slice the beans thinly and cook them in salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and put in a small bowl wher you mix it with a little olive oil.
- Cut the cheese into small, this strips or small dice and add to the beans.
- Make a rather thick sauce with the mustard, honey, vinegar,a little salt and olive oil.
- Shell the eggs and quarter them.
- Put the quinoa on a plate, spoon some of the bean and cheese mix on top and then the egg on that. Drizzle the sauce over and serve!

Tunisian Spicy Breads-Bread Baking Babes Like It Hot

I like it hot and this month's Bread Baking Babes bread is fantastic! I say that despite the fact that I managed to mess it up quite a lot, the bread was too thick and and they didn't keep together as they should have but we loved every bite of them. I will definitely make them again, both with the aim of improving my poor exhibition and so that we eat these little treasures again! And next time Ithink I will pan fry them just to try it.It was Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies who made this excellent choice for this month BBB challenge and I highly recommend you to join us as a Bread Baking Buddy or just bake it on your own, you can read the details on how to join over at Natashya's blog. Do take a look at the rest of the Babes´s Spicy Breads so that you can see what they really should look like!





Tunisian Spicy Breads - Touarits
from Savory Baking from the Mediterranean by Anissa Helou

Makes 20-22 small breads

Ingredients:

For the dough
3 1/3 tsp (1 1/2 pkg) (16.5 ml) active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups (828 ml) fine semolina or semolina flour
1 1/2 (7.5 ml) tsp fine kosher salt or sea salt
1 1/2 Tbsp (22 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing the breads
1 whole egg
All purpose flour for kneading and shaping

For the filling
3 Tbsp (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped (about 1 heaping cup) (250+ ml)
1 medium bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped (about 3/4 cup) (178 ml approx)
2 small chili peppers, such as serranos, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp (5 ml) harissa
1/2 (2.5 ml) teaspoon cayenne pepper
Fine kosher salt or sea salt

Directions:

- Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup (60 ml) warm water and stir until creamy.
- Combine the semolina and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the 1 1/2 Tbsps (22 ml) olive oil and the egg to the well. Gradually add the yeast and 2/3 cup plus 2 Tbsps (188 ml total) warm water, bringing in the semolina as you go along. Knead until you have a rough ball of dough.
- Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 3 minutes. Invert the bowl over the dough and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead for about 2 to 3 minutes more. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rest while the filling is prepared.
- Make the filling: Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until golden. Add the tomatoes, chopped peppers, harissa, and cayenne. Season with salt to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bell pepper is soft and the sauce is very thick. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Divide the dough into two pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Place on a lightly floured work surface, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400F (205C). Roll out one ball of dough until it is 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) thick. Using a 3 1/2 inch (8.9 cm approx) pastry cutter, cut out as many circles of dough as possible and set aside. Briefly knead the extra dough together, and place under the plastic wrap, next to the other ball of dough. Turn the circles over and place 1 tsp (5 ml) of filling in the middle of half of the circles. Cover with the remaining plain circles and press on the edges to seal. Flatten the breads slightly by hand and pinch the edges to flatten further and seal well. Brush with olive oil on both sides and transfer to a non-stick baking sheet, or to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone pastry mat. Cover with a damp kitchen towel. continue making the breads until the dough, including the scraps, is used up.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly crisp and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm.

Note: To pan-fry the breads, heat a little oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, place as many breads as will fit in the pan, brush the tops with olive oil, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden on the bottom, pressing on the breads if they puff up. Turn the breads over, brush the cooked bottoms with oil, and cook for 3 minutes more, or until golden all over. Serve immediately.

Food Props on Sunday, part 3 - plates, drinking glasses and cutlery and such things

This week I want to talk a bit about the most important food props, the ones you can't really be without if you want to shoot food in a realistic way or should I say, in a credible way for a food blog or for any kind of food feature-I'm talking about tableware. And it is the simplest food props to use and get because I think dare to say that we all have a plate, a glass or a fork in our homes. And you don't even have to use them all together, a plate or a bowl can be just enough as a food prop.
There are a few things to think about when you choose plates, dishes and bowls for food props and I will quickly take them up one by one:



- Colours. You have to think about the colour of the plate or bowl and how it might be used in conjunction with food. I have by far more white plates and bowls in different shapes than say red or brown, white is obviously the safest choice because white rarely interferes with the colours of the food and it doesn't draw the attention away from the food either. It also works well with most backgrounds. But if you have the space and want to go a bit further in your food photography, I suggest that you could pick up tableware in other colours. Remember that I'm not talking about getting the whole series of a type plates but one maybe two plates so it doesn't have to be expensive, nor take a lot of space.
It can also be nice to have coloured drinking glasses that contrast or matches the plates, it is not necessary to make complete table settings for every shot, not even a single on but it does look nice to see the colour of the plate in the background, it can fill out space of the image in a nice way.



- Pattern. Think carefully before you go and get patterned plates because a too bold pattern easily 'deletes' a food that doesn't stand out or it makes the food look less good, sometimes the result can almost be they way you can feel on a boat in stormy weather and that is not the right way to feel when you look at it. Sometimes patterns work, sometimes not and you have to try to visualize the shot in your mind because food as we see it when we sit down to at looks different when you see it in a photo and here we deal with what we want to show in a two-dimensional image.

- Size. For several years I shot my food in the open door of my kitchen, the food was propped up on a piece of cardboard on top of my recycling bin and I sat or hunched on the floor in front of the set-up. And when I upgraded to my first studio place (if I can call it like that), it was just a small space, half a desk with a window on the left hand. And why do I tell you this? Because it shows that you don't need a studio to shoot food, as long as you have the light, you can use small spaces like the ones I used but you need to adapt your props a little, you need to down-size it so that you can reduce the size of the setting. I used smaller props instead of the bigger ones I use now so it didn't matter as much that I had to be so close to the food when I shot it, by using smaller plates, cutlery etc., you trick the onlooker to think that what she/he is looking at is the same size she/he sees on a normal dining table but you have to down-size all the food props - smaller plates, smaller glasses, smaller cutlery.



Cutlery is a bit different from plates and glasses because forks, knives and spoons usually play a minor role but they can still be important for conveying an atmosphere or a certain style. Details are important for the whole, details build up an image, we all know that so let's not forget the cutlery, sometimes a nice spoon can give a photo just the right touch so when you see a nice fork, knife or spoon, grab it! If you don't care much for them, some nice neutral ones work really well too.


Tableware is not difficult to find, I have got quite a few nice plates and bowls from my parents and my mother-in-law as well and now I even get plates as gifts from friends instead of wine or flowers when they come as lunch guests. Go to thrift shops, great places to find odd plates, glasses and cutlery, and I always keep my eyes open in supermarkets where they sometimes sell out end of the line series or just have sales or just cheap tableware that you can buy one piece of at a time. I also go to tableware shops and sometimes ask if they have odd ones, now and then a cup breaks so they are left with just the plate or they get chipped or whatever can happen to make a piece of tableware less desirable for a shop owner or customer and they are often happy let you have it cheaper. As usual, you just have to keep your eyes open and you will find lots of great and cheap food props to use for your shots.



Remember that I invited you to Show Us Your Food Props! Write about and show us your own food props in any way you please, it can be only photos, you can tell us which ones are your favourite ones or just give us useful tips about how to find or make great food props! Blog it, link back to any of the Food Props on Sunday posts here on Lucullian and send it to me at luculliandelights AT gmail DOT com with your name, the name of your blog and the url to the blog post and I will include you in the roundup that is planned for the 4thof July! Please remember to put Show Us Your Food Props in the subject line so that I don't spam your email.

Next week I will talk about textiles and similar things.
Food Props on Sunday- part 1
Food props on Sunday-part 2

Bread Baking Day #30- Robert May's French Bread from 1660

I think this is the second time I participate in Zorra of Kochtopf's Bread Baking Day event, I'm pretty sure that many of my fellow Bread Baking Babes do and I know that several of them have been hosting the event. This month too, Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies is the hostess and she has chosen a theme that appealed to me: twisted breads. First I thought about making one of Italy's many twisted breads but then I found another bread that I really wanted to try and that has a twist (or two, I can't decided) to it which has nothing to do with its appearance but with its age. And as I am ageing too, I like to see aged things with a nice twist to them or should I say ageing as a twist to life? (You can tell that I am going through a sort of ageing crises, can't you, desperately trying to substituting what I am rapidly loosing with something just as good.)

I recently got hold of my favourite food writer Elizabeth David's English Bread and Yeast Cookery and I have stopped counting the breads I have marked as Must Makes but one of the first breads I spotted and decided to make is a recipe first published in 1660 in The Accomplished Cook by Robert May. Just like Elizabeth David, I love things like this recipe that give me a link to the past, being able to make a bread in the same way as they did 350 years ago and enjoying it. And that is the Twist to my bread. I hope it suffices. If not, you can see that I made twisted spikes on the crust, just to be sure.

Elizabeth David has adapted the recipe but only a little, she reduced the ingredients to about half and the egg whites a little more than half, that's it and if you want to take a look at the 1685 edition of May's book, you find it here.

ROBERT MAY'S FRENCH BREAD
from Elizabeth David's English Bread and Yeast Cookery,

500 g/ 1 lb 2 oz preferably a half-and-half mixture of unbleached white and wheatmeal
15 g7 0,5 oz of yeast (fresh)
2 egg whites
280-340 g/ 0,5 pint to 12 oz water and milk,preferably 3/4 water and 1/4 milk
15 g/ 0,5 oz salt

- Warm flour and salt in a very tepid oven. (you can skip this but I did it)

- Pour in the yeast creamed in a little of the warmed milk and water mixture. Add the egg whites, beaten in a small bowl until they are just beginning to froth. Pour in the remaining milk (but not all at once like I did, I had to add more flour to get the right consistency). Mix as for ordinary bread dough.

- Leave to rise until spongy and light. This will take 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the temperature of the ingredients when the dough as mixed.

- Break down the dough, divide it into two round loaves-or long rolls if you prefer. (I made one oval loaf). Cover with plastic or a light cloth and leave to recover volume. About 30 minutes should be enough.

- Decorate crust with cuts or not. Bake in a pre-heated oven (230°C/450°F) for the first 15 minutes. Then to prevent the crust to get too hard, cover the loaves with bowls or an oval casserole. In another 15 minutes the laves should be ready. (I did not cover my loaf because I had nothing of that size of shape that I could use so I lowered the temperature to 175°C/350°F and left it in for another 15-20 minutes.

And no, that is not May's cookbook but another, French, cookbook from the same century.

Today only photos but lots of them instead

It's been raining a lot here lately, to be honest it feels as if it is the only weather we have this spring, greygreygrey and rain, so when there was a pause in all that heavenly watering this morning, I grabbed my camera to get some shots of all the poppies before they give up hope of better times and just die. I was lucky, it's is pouring down now when I sit here writing these words.... Enjoy the red!


Isn't the grasshopper gorgeous, it certainly strikes the pose


There is a lot of water left here and there







Lots of bees desperately working while they can, they were so busy they didn't care at all if I put the camera lens up their noses

Paper Chef #51 Duck-breast with Wasabi Panna Cotta and Tomato Twist

I haven't participated in the Paper Chef for ages so now it is really time to start again, it is after all my favourite food blog event and that was the reason why I took over Owen's wonderful creation when he didn't have time enough to do it, I am always happy that he agreed to that because I know that I am not the only one to like the Paper Chef. I am sharing the duties if they can be called like that with Mike of Spikey Mikeys who is the most perfect co-host I could wish for. See, I have only positive things to say of the PC, yes I can feel a certain frustration when there are really difficult ingredients but it is a nice kind of frustration, more like the way you feel before you manage to solve a problem in a creative way. This month's four ingredients were chosen by Fiona of Nice Profiteroles, who presented us with wasabi, tomatoes, duck and cream. I did have to do some thinking about the tomato and wasabi combination but I think I managed to solve that in this little dish that can both be served as a starter or as a main dish.

DUCK-BREAST WITH WASABI PANNA COTTA AND TOMATO TWIST

duck-breast
100 ml/0,42 cup fresh cream
2 tsp wasabi paste
3/4 tsp gelatin powder
puff pastry
tomato paste
salt
extra-virgin olive oil

- Mix gelatin with 1 tblsp water and let it stand to soak up the water.
- Heat up the fresh cream minus 1 tblsp which you mix well with the wasabi paste.
- Add the gelatin to the cream and stir well and when it has cooled down, add the wasabi and cream and whisk until completely mixed. Pour into a small container that is small or big enough to make the panna cotta about 1 cm/ 0,4 in thick. Leave for about 3 hours.
- Take two strands, approximately 1,5 cm/ 1,6 in wide, of puff pastry and spread tomato paste evenly over one of them, put the other on top and twist them. Repeat until you have all the twists you need. Bake in a pre-heated oven (200°C/390°F) for 10-15 minutes until golden.
- Sauté the duck-breast for about 3-4 minutes on each side, it depends on how big the piece of meat is and how rare you want it, you may need more time, you may need less. Let it rest a little when ready.
- Cut the panna cotta into dice, slice the duck and compose the dish as you like it!