Sweet and Sour Doesn't Always Equal "Sweet-'n-Sour"

One of the first things my mother taught me about cooking which related to theory rather than technique is that what you serve should always take into account three fundamentals:  taste, color and texture.  That advice is still central to my meals and dishes.  Taste is always the most important but the other two aren't far behind.  In many cases I aim for balance or complementary attributes and sometimes I aim for contrast.  But even in the case of contrast, it should work as a whole.  Sometimes I go for just BOLD but that's a different post.

When I got the idea for this dessert and told Mr. Scrumptious about it he didn't think it sounded good.  When I told another friend about it, it seemed weird to her too. When I served it to dinner guests, they tried hard not to show their skepticism before tasting it.  I realized that for people who don't always improvise or create their own recipes, the combination of something like white chocolate and red grapefruit could sound, well, kind of disgusting.  But trust me, this "White Chocolate and Red Grapefruit Panna Cotta" was wonderful and absolutely scrumptious.  And Mr. Scrumptious and our guests all agreed.

What I want to point out here is that sweet and sour (or tart) originally thought to reside in two zones on the tongue or as now believed differing sensitivities of each tastebud, balance each other beautifully and do not compete at all when certain proportions are used.   Too much of either flavor in either direction make that "sweet 'n sour" taste that I think is usually overwhelming and more often than not, unappetizing.   This dessert is delicious and you cannot really discern the grapefruit within unless you're really scrutinizing.  The only bold taste of the grapefruit comes from the garnish you see in the photo.  It is rich and creamy like typical panna cotta but the white chocolate I used mellows and deepens the texture in your mouth to more like a custard or firm pudding than the usual slick and smooth panna cotta.  The acidity of the grapefruit is the opposite side of the scale and I used just enough to cut back on the sweetness a little and add just a touch of freshness.  I wouldn't even call it sour or tart.  If I had used much more, then yes.  But, it was very intentional to add only enough to get a hint and scale back the sweetness.  The zest also contributes and tweaks the texture into a unique place.  The garnishes of red grapefruit segment and turbinado sugar give a sincere flourish of color, taste AND texture all in one.

Here's my recipe, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients
Serves 6

6 oz. good white chocolate, chopped
1/4 tsp. grapefruit zest
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. milk
3 T. sugar
2 tsp. unflavored gelatin
7 T. red grapefruit juice, squeezed fresh
1 T. water

Method:

1. Combine white chocolate, grapefruit zest, cream, milk and sugar in a saucepan.  Turn the burner on low heat and melt very gently over low flame.

2. Put water, 1 T. of grapefruit juice and the gelatin in a small glass bowl and let stand for 5 minutes.  Get a small saucepan and put the glass bowl on top of the saucepan to make a double-boiler.  Turn the flame on very low and dissolve the gelatin very gently.  When melted, give a quick stir with a wooden spoon. 

3.  Put a fine strainer or sieve over the first pan with the chocolate and cream base.  Pour the dissolved gelatin and juice into the cream base through the strainer.  Add the remaing 6 T. of grapefruit juice by pouring it through the strainer.  Make sure to catch all the seeds and pulp from the grapefruit and any skin from the gelatin.  Turn off the heat and stir the mixture gently with the wooden spoon.

4.  Pour or spoon the dessert into serving ramekins or dessert dishes.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours.

5. Remove the dessert a few minutes before you're ready to serve and take off the plastic wrap. Garnish with small segments of red grapfruit and sprinkle turbinado sugar over the top. 

Please give this a try and let me know if you like it as much as we did!

Comments

[Lydia]

Now, why don't I ever think of using grapefruit zest? Brilliant idea!

[Sarah Caron]

Oooh, that sounds like a good combination (but I am easily lured to unusual things). I might make this and not tell anyone what it is until they try it . . . tends to work better for open minds in my house.

[Caroline]

This is my first visit to your blog... what an enticing first recipe to find. mmmmm looks delicious.

[Stephanie Beack]

Lydia, glad you like the idea. Now you'll think of a million ways to use it.

Sarah and Caroline, welcome to Scrumptious Street! Great to have you both here and I'm pleased you like this one so much. It really is delicious. Sarah, that's a good strategy. I love to hear them rave about it and then stun them with the "secret ingredient". This falls into that surprise factor fun very well.