Cucumber Cream Sauce for Crab Cakes

Sometimes a nice cool sauce just goes so well with crab cakes.  

Ingredients:
1 medium cucumber
1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp grated onion
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Peel and seed the cucumber.

Grate enough cucumber to measure 1/2 cup.

Combine grated cucumber, sour cream and the remaining ingredients in a small bowl.  Cover and chill.  Goes great with crab cakes.  

Vanilla Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta in Italian means "cooked cream".  There isn't much cooking in this recipe though.  Sour cream and buttermilk add an acidic element giving it a delicate finish.   Serve it with a berry sauce or a sprig of mint and fresh mixed berries.  Try to find the Madagascar pure vanilla bean paste at a specialty store.  It make a big difference in the vanilla taste that you will get vs. regular vanilla extract. 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp powdered gelatin
1 TBSP water
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup plus 1 TBSP buttermilk
1 1/4 tsp vanilla paste
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup creme fraiche

Pour the water and the gelatin in a small glass and let sit for about 5 minutes to soften.

In a medium bowl whisk together the sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla and sugar.

In a small saucepan pour about 1/2 cup of the sour cream mixture over medium low heat.  Heat just until warm and add the gelatin stirring to dissolve.  Rub a little between your fingers, it should not feel gritty.

Let cool for about 5 minutes and then stir into the sour cream mixture.
Whisk the creme fraiche in a medium bowl until it is thick and holds its shape.

Fold in the sour cream mixture.

Strain through a fine mesh conical strainer into a bowl with spout or liquid measuring cup.  Pour into six 4-5 ounce ramekins or molds.

Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or let set for up to 2 days.
To unmold, run a paring knife about 1/4 inch deep around the edge of each panna cotta.  Dip the bottom 2/3 into a bowl of very hot water just long enough to unmold.  If  you leave it in too long it will liquefy the dessert.  Invert onto a serving plate.  Serve with fresh mint and mixed berries.

Recipe from Thomas Kellers Ad Hoc Cookbook