Rose Panna Cotta with Raspberry and Lychee / Mother Goose Suite

Being married to a chocoholic can be surprisingly hard on a recreational chef with as indiscriminating a sweet tooth as myself.  If only I could turn my husband away from the chocolatey-dark side; far enough, at least, that he would actually enjoy a slice of lemon meringue pie! I would die a happy woman, confident that the dessert-making force was with me. To be fair, though, he's come a very far way already - thanks to ridiculously exquisite (and foolproof) recipes like this one.

{cream + sugar + mascarpone + rosewater + cute ramekin = panna cotta}

Martha Stewart's light and delicately floral Rosewater Panna Cotta seemed just right for a dinner party in the garden earlier this week. The original recipe calls for fresh raspberries and chopped canned lychees, with the accompanying clear syrup reserved as a sauce. But when I spotted fresh lychees at Trader Joe's, I imagined a simple coulis made out of fresh lychees and raspberries instead.

{Coulis is just Fancy for "fruit sauce"}

After pureeing a pint of raspberries with 10 peeled, pitted lychees and 2 tablespoons of powdered  sugar, I pushed the liquid through a sieve to remove seeds. The resulting sauce was heavenly: sweet, floral, and ever so slightly tart. (If you don't have access to fresh lychees, canned would work just as well; just skip the sugar.)
                      
I served the panna cotta with this ginger shortbread.

Lastly, a word to the wise: don't be in a hurry to remove the panna cotta from its container. I may or may not have shattered a plate in my haste to shake a particularly stubborn one free. Loosen the bottoms first by placing them in a baking dish filled with half an inch of very hot water for several minutes.

{chocolate who?}

Musical pairing: "Laideronette, Empress of the Pagodas" from Ravel's Mother Goose Suite. It's silken, snowy, and boasts an elegantly eastern flavor - not entirely unlike this dessert. Enjoy!