Cinnamon/amaretto pannacotta with poached pears
Cinnamon pannacotta with amaretto
Decisions can sometimes be the hardest things to make. Do we hold on to things because it makes sense or because we are used to ‘having’ it? It’s the time of month to do my tax returns and that got me thinking about the cost involved in keeping my studio versus the return it gives me. Three years ago when I first rented the place we said we would have a look at how it went and if it would be profitable enough for me to keep the studio or if we would need to look for another solution. In 5 months time I will have to renew the contract for 5 years or cancel it… So I did a lot of calculating and then some more thinking of different angles, other ways to use the studio but it seems to all lead towards the inevitable end of my studio… 
Pannacotta and autumn goodness!
My goal has also changed in the last three years from doing more people shots to doing more food and with that comes the fact that I am using my studio less except for larger productions where a little extra space is needed. I still do the occasional portrait in the studio as well as product photography but in the end I do not need 120 M2 to do the work. A lot is done at home (such as these lovely pannacotta’s) since I have more cooking equipment there…
But even though my mind tells me that it makes sense to find another solution; my heart tells me differently! I love my studio. Spend hours and hours there, painted and decorated the whole place and have soooo many props stored there too. The scenario’s of what next keep tumbling through my mind… It makes me tired to even think of all the consequences but there are a couple of possible scenario’s
- Keep the studio
- Find a smaller studio
- Convert one of the rooms at home into a studio of sorts and rent a larger studio if I need one
- Co-rent a studio with a photographer friend in Amsterdam
- Store all my stuff in a storage facility (but that would mean it’s hard to find anything if I need it)
Right now I’m leaning strongly towards option 3. But believe me when I say I keep changing my mind just about every day or so. 
Something I have no need to change my mind over is this totally delicious pannacotta with a hint of amaretto… You’re gonna love this with some poached pears!
The original recipe for the pannacotta came from Delicious cookbook by Valli Little which I had bought the day before (if only for the gorgeous photographs by Brett Stevens and styling by David Morgan!) and since Charlotte was coming over for a cooking session we cooked all the recipes from the book. A totally delicious hummus and fallafel with green peas and pita bread were our first courses after which the room was filled with garlic… I will remake the hummus and falaffel and shoot them at some point but the light was gone and none was left after dinner.
I changed the recipe for the pannacotta by adding amaretto instead of cognac as I simply do not like cognac but love amaretto. For the pears I used just about anything I had on hand; pomegranate juice (leftover from the pomegranates we used with the hummus), verjuice and loads of spices… Loved it and again not as red as I would have wanted them to be. I’m gonna try and add some dark ruby port in them next time. That should do the trick!
Cinnamon amaretto pannacotta and poached pears in verjus
Yield: 6
Prep Time: 1 hr, 30 mins
Cook Time: cooling time 4 hrs
Total Time: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Ingredients:
- 500ml whipping cream
- 125ml milk
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 40g sugar
- 3 sheets gelatin
- 2 tablespoons amaretto
POACHED PEARS IN VERJUS
- 1kg Wilder Gieseman pears (or another pear that can be poached)
- 1 cup verjuice
- 3 star anise
- 3 sticks cinnamon
- 6 green cardamom pods (crushed)
- 1 pomegranate (juice only)
- 3 tablespoons sugar (use sugar to taste and depending on the sweetness of the pears)
Directions:
| Bring the milk, cream, cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon and sugar on medium heat to the boil, take the pan of the fire and leave to stand for about an hour to infuse the flavors into the cream. | |
| Soak your gelatin leaves for 5 minutes in cold water until they are soft. Slowly heat the cream mixture on low heat. Squeeze the water out of the gelatin leafs and still them into the warm cream until they dissolve. Add the amaretto en put the liquid through a sieve. Pour your pannacotta into 6 ramekins or other forms and leave them in the fridge for at least 4 hours to firm up. | |
Note
For some reason I had a skin forming on the pannacotta so my guess is that it was still slightly too warm when I put it in the fridge. I've never had this issue before with any pannacotta so I'm a bit unsure what caused it. Thought I mention it anyway!
POACHED PEARS IN VERJUS
| Peel and core the pears. | |
| Put the pears in a pan that is big enough to hold the pears plus poaching liquid. Add the verjuice, the sugar, the pomegranate juice, the cardamom, staranise and cinnamon and top with water until the pears are almost covered but not quite. | |
| Bring to the boil and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Turn the heat down and let it simmer until the pears are done. This really varies a lot depending on the type of pear you use. For the Wilder Giesseman pear that I used it was stated it should cook 1 1/5 hr but mine were done after 20 minutes! So check regularly if they are soft enough. Once cooked let the pears cool in the liquid. If the liquid is still too thin you can remove the pears and cook the liquid down a little further until it becomes syrupie.. | |
Note
Delicious autumn dessert and paired with the cinnamon pannacotta it is really good!
Appetizer
Asian
Bread
Breakfast
Desserts & other sweets
Healthy
Hi Simone, so sad to hear you will have to close your studio!
I really hope you will find a sollution that wil enable you to keep shooting somewhere.
My stuff for shooting is everywhere in the house, it’s more like a mobile studio
Good luck, stunning photos
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 26th, 2011 at 18:01
Haha… yes I could have a mobile studio
Thanks!
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I am sorry to hear about your upcoming decision. I am like you with spaces, there are some room that make us feel good, and it is hard to let go. I would suggest that you keep it and try to rent it.
Best of luck!
Love the shoot of the pear pannacotta, and I agree with you, amaretto seems a much better choice.
Keep us posted.
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 26th, 2011 at 18:02
Thanks Laura! I have tried renting it to others but it’s too irregular and not very often so money wise it makes hardly any difference at all
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That is a deliciously spicy panna cotta! Wonderful.
Cheers,
Rosa
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 26th, 2011 at 18:02
Thanks Rosa!
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Oh Simone change is hard to accept but often it opens the door to many new ventures and solutions. I say go for 3. too. Give it a year and see how it goes if not you can then rent a smaller place. I wish I was there with you we could talk and indulge in these delightful panna cottas! Hugs!
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 26th, 2011 at 18:03
Thanks so much Meeta! Yes I think it will be nr. 3. I sort of made up my mind about it already.. I wish you were here too but you’ll be of to Tuscany very very soon!
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Bella ricetta, ciao
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 26th, 2011 at 18:06
Thanks Stefania!
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These look delicious. Beautiful photographs! What a great combination of flavors too…cardamom is one of my all-time favorites.
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 26th, 2011 at 23:05
Thanks Laura. Yes I love cardamom too. Such a wonderful spice to use!
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The panna cotta looks great.
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 27th, 2011 at 17:56
Thanks so much Joy!
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Hi! Saying goodbye to something doesn’t have to be equated to sadness all the time. It may just be giving way to something more beautiful, more productive or more appropriate.
Your recipe post is nice and fresh! I love the sweet and softer texture of pears. Thanks for sharing this! More power!
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 27th, 2011 at 17:57
Thanks Anna. Yes I think it certainly doesn’t have to be a sad thing but it’s crossing that hurdle that makes it a little tough sometimes…
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I’m sorry to hear you have to close your studio. Hopefully new opportunities will open up for you soon.
Your pannacotta though looks amazing!!!! I absolutely adore poached pears and can imagine how good this tastes. Valli Little’s recipes are always amazing.
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 27th, 2011 at 17:57
O yes this is a clear winner!
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Simone,
When one door closes, another one opens. I think you are making the right decision with your head
even though your heart is pulling you in another direction.
Imagine what fun you will have converting your space at home.
I think your photography, no matter where you shoot, will always be fabulous.
xx
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 27th, 2011 at 17:59
O thanks so much Mona! I am actually already planning how to convert the space at home. it does involve getting rid of a lot of old junk we kept in the house, so it is almost becoming a major cleanout! Not almost, it IS becoming a major cleanout, which is a good thing. Time we got rid of a lot of stuff we absolutely do not need… I don’t think we will ever have an empty house but it will be good to clean up a bit..
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Beautiful post and images. I believe you will follow your heart….you can recreate a space at home if it no longer makes sense to keep the studio space. I too am at a crossroads, I wish I could remain calm and comfortable in the face of it and just let it unfold, trusting that the correct decisions will be made. Wishing you forethought and prosperity!
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Oh my friend, that’s a really hard decision! But I’m sure that whatever path you take will be the best for you and you will continue to amaze us with your photography. Decisions, decisions, why do they have to be so hard, hehe.
Big hugs!
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This looks so good Simone, and the pictures are absolutely stunning. Well, all of your photography is simply awe inspiring. I could look at your photos for hours. I’ve never made, or had pannacota before, but this post might very well be the push that I needed.
Re: your studio, could you not rent it to other photographers who occasionally need a bigger space, or maybe rent half of it to someone else? I am so totally with you on it being hard to part with our things, sometimes. I just recently sold one of my possessions that I had put up for sale over 6 months ago, and now that I finally sold it, I had to tell the guy that I had changed my mind. Just couldn’t part with it. I feel so bad about this, but I just can’t let go…
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 27th, 2011 at 18:02
I seriously think that sometimes letting go is just one of the hardest things… But I have tried to rent it out to others but without success. And someone who rents it once every two months is not gonna help, so I gave up on that idea. I’m also not good in sharing MY space with someone else.. lol.. You know how you have your own things and your own setup and sharing that with a virtual stranger just doesn’t feel good either. O well, I’ll survive and in the end it will be a good thing! And you should really try pannacotta! It is SOOOO delicious!
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this dessert looks so exotic and delicious ! i love cinnamon recipes
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I actually had the same issue as you did with a thick skin forming on top. To correct this before being eaten however, I heated some brown sugar (with a pinch of water) over the stove and poured the liquid over the skins to melt them before being served.
I might also add that I added cardamom to this recipe and omitted the amaretto entirely (didnt have it in the house) and this turned out to be a VERY indian dessert
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I think you should put off the studio decision and just mull it over for awhile. Sometimes you just need time — and a little panna cotta love — to figure it all out.
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MMMMMMMMMMMMM,…Simone! What a delightful & stylish chique panna cotta!
Looks so lovely!!
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And I forgot: I absolutely love verjuice!
You can do so much with it! yum!
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This version of panna cotta looks so perfect and gorgeous! I want some RIGHT NOW!
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Oh Simone – I feel your pain!! I also hate making decisions and usually put them off till the very last minute. It will be hard giving up the space you love but think of the extra cash you’ll have for PROPS!
love these pannacotta, and poached pears are a favourite!
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