panna cotta

i followed lucia's recipe for panna cotta and, i have to say, it was easy and amazingly delicious.  my family devoured it.  i thought jack was going to cry when he asked for seconds and i had to break it to him that it was a one-per-person kinda deal.  pete and i had ours with blackberries, jack and lucy opted for strawberries and finn took his plain (except for the chocolate shavings, of course).  not something you would want to make all the time, considering the cream factor, but definitely worth a special occasion.  like, in our case, on a random monday night after swimming...

i will also suggest you look at the barefoot contessa's recipe for panna cotta with balsamic strawberries.  her recipe for panna cotta is way more involved (plus it uses a vanilla bean and, man, can those things set ya back...), but i think the balsamic strawberries sound so good.  she mixes strawberries (4 pints), balsamic vinegar (5 tablespoons), sugar (2 tablespoons) and freshly ground black pepper (1/2 tsp.) and sets them aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.  then serves the panna cotta with the strawberries and some lemon zest on top.  different, yes.  intriguing, definitely...