S'more Topped Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta

Phew, please excuse the loooooong delay in blogging over the holidays. My only excuse is that us Spitzers cram nearly every family event into a one month  span. Emm's birthday, our anniversary, Christmas and my birthday.

I promise that I will get to my panna cotta recipe but give me a second to do a quick, culinary review of the last two months!

We celebrated and celebrated well over the holidays! Friend trip to San Francisco/ eating everything in sight trip! Below is a picture of my lamb face stew and Sam's kung pao pastrami at Mission Chinese Food in San Francisco. Seriously one of the best meals of my life!

 
Deep fried turkey with friends on Thanksgiving!

Loveless cafe biscuits and jam while in Nashville!

Pizza party for the cute one's second birthday party!

Fresh chicken for Christmas in Montana [jk, but my father-in-law sent me home with homemade elk pepperoni which barely lasted the long drive home].

 
And, sorry no pictures, but we celebrated our belated 7th anniversary with yummy French food in Denver and, this weekend, had an awesome birthday dinner at The Kitchen in Denver. Lardo toasties, sauteed greens and lemon, burratta topped bruschetta with roasted radicchio and my fave meal: harissa roasted chicken with cumin yogurt, cucumber and almond, golden raisin and couscous salad!

Anyways, on to the panna cotta!
S'more Topped Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta
*Serves 5
Panna Cotta
2 tbsp of water                   
2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder 
1/2 tsp salt                       
1 cup of heavy cream                
1 cup of whole milk                    
1 tsp vanilla extract                    
1/3 cup of sugar                   
3.5 oz of dark chocolate [I used a yummy big chocolate bar that was a leftover stocking stuffer]

Marshmallow Creme:
1/3 cup of milk
10 marshmallows, cut in half
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:
A half cup of graham crackers, crushed [cinnamon grahams would be awesome]       











Mix the gelatin with the water and set aside for 5 minutes. It will turn into a gelatinous puck, don't worry, it will melt in the hot chocolate. Chop the chocolate into chunks. Place the salt, cream, milk, vanilla, sugar and chocolate chunks into a sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture. Continue to stir for a minute, to fully dissolve the gelatinous puck. Pour the chocolate mixture, through a small sieve, into 5 six ounce bowls, glasses or ramekins. If you have a large  bowl [4 cup or higher] with a spout, it might be easier to strain the mixture into the measuring cup and then pour from there.  Leave a half inch of room on the top of each container. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Before service, place the marshmallows, milk and vanilla extract into a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat until the marshmallows have completely melted.

Top each panna cotta with a tablespoon of marshmallow creme and a couple teaspoons  of graham cracker crumbs. Enjoy this luxurious adaptation of a s’more!