Lotta and Lemon Panna Cotta

"We'll never fit in Aunt, we're dressed all wrong!  Did you see them staring at us?"

"I'm sure they liked my owl, dear."

Lotta's Aunt had a stuffed owl on the front of her best hat.  In the movie "Come and Get It!", Frances Farmer plays two roles, mother and then daughter, both named Lotta.  The mother dies and the story becomes about the daughter, who finally has a chance to leave the small logging town where she grew up and go to Chicago.  

On the train she wanted to eat in the dining car because she had thought it would be such an elegant experience.  They were dressed in their homemade best, but as she said it was all wrong, the people in the dining car stared at them, especially at the owl.

Frances farmer was quite a celebrity in her day, but she made few movies.  It is actually a good story, great clothes and hats from the 1930's, and if Lotta did have dessert in that elegant dining car, she might have had a lemon panna cotta.  Which rhymes with Lotta. 

Lemon Panna Cotta

Makes 8 small ramekins

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup + 2 tbs. superfine sugar, I use organic cane sugar ground fine in a spice grinder.
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup lemon juice (4-6 lemons)
Zest of 4-6 lemons, 2 big tbs.
1 cup Greek style yogurt
 
Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water in a small bowl and let it soften for 5 minutes.  Set aside.  Combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan, bring to a simmer and stir until sugar dissolves.  Turn off the heat and stir in the gelatin until it dissolves, add the cream, lemon juice and zest.

Put the yogurt in a mixing bowl, I use one with a spout, and whisk the yogurt to loosen it up.  Add the cream mixture slowly while whisking gently to avoid creating air bubbles.  Fill the ramekins, cover individually with cling wrap. Tap the ramekin on a surface to eliminate any air bubbles.  Chill for at least 6 hours, overnight is even better.  If you have a pomegranate, sprinkle seeds over the panna cotta when served.

I started collecting extra small ramekins. Unmold these little, creamy, heavenly, lemony panna cottas next to a piece of pie, as requested for my daughter's birthday. 

To see the latest collection of Zazu & Violets' hats, please visit our on-line Etsy shop.