Lavender pannacotta with peaches, Italian wine revelations

Italian wine revelations and lavender pannacotta with peaches

Cari amici!

It is finally peach season and with any luck it will go on all summer long! One of our favorite summer desserts is lavender pannacotta served with juicy chunks of fresh, sweet peaches. It is a simple and elegant way to finish any special dinner. Scroll down below for the recipe.

During the lockdown, with the restaurant closed, Gina had lots of time to catch up on her reading. Top of the list was Wine Spectator, especially those issues that focused on Italian wines. She found some interesting data we would like to share. In a poll of 2500 respondents, when asked about their impressions and drinking habits when it comes to Italian wine they found that:

59% said Italian wines was their favorite of all Old World wines

66% said the diversity of wines from so many different grapes was Italy’s greatest strength

23% said Barolo was their favorite, 22% said Brunello di Montalcino was the favorite and a mere 15% said they like Chianti best. We think they need to taste more Chianti!

60% of men shop by DOC or producer, but 55% of women shop by grape type – which means women are looking for pinot grigio and prosecco!

100% of everyone polled wants to go to Italy!!! Tuscany and Piedmont are the top choices!! And WE GO THERE!!

We’re super excited to be planning our trips for 2021. Dates are below. We’ll be ready to get back to Italy and soak in the beauty and history, all with an excellent glass of wine or two! We hope you are too.

Buon appetito and Cin-Cin!

Gina and Mary

Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino

Delicious Chianti Classico - One of the cellars we visit!

Travel to Italy 2021 Dates

We've added a few weeks due to the demand. Please contact Mary for details and any questions. We'll be sharing our 2022 schedule soon and adding the Veneto and Emilia Romagna regions in 2022!

Tuscany, Spring: May 29 – June 5, 2021
Piedmont: June 6 – 13, 2021
Piedmont: June 14 - 21, 2021
Puglia: September 19 – 26, 2021
Puglia: Sept 26-October 3, 2021
Puglia: October 3- 10, 2021
Tuscany: October 16 -23, 2021
Tuscany: October 23 -30, 2021
Tuscany: October 30 – November 6, 2021

The beautiful Val d'Orcia

San Gimignano towers

More on 2015 Brunello di Montalcino

To follow up on our previous newsletter, we mentioned the excellence of 2015 Brunello di Montalcino. Well, Wine Spectator agrees with us and they dedicated almost the entire May 2020 issue on the excellence of this killer vintage! Again, our favorite enoteca is Pierangiolini, send them an email and they'll ship their wines for free! Thanks to all who've already contacted them. We hope you enjoy your wines! Our winery partners are also eager and willing to ship to us. If you need the info, contact Mary.

This Month's Italian saying...

"Magari!"

(pronounced: mah-gah-ree)

"If only!"

It indicates a strong wish or hope. Magari is a good answer if someone asks you if you'd like to win a trip to Italy, a case of wine or a new Ferrari. "If only" or "I'd love to!"

Lavender Pannacotta with Fresh Peaches

1 quart heavy cream

1 cup sugar

3 gelatin sheets (available at specialty food shops)

2 lavender flowers stems

3 peaches, peeled and diced

1 teas lemon juice

1 tbsp sugar

Over a medium heat, warm the cream and lavender together. When it starts to simmer, take it off the heat and let it cool down for a couple hours. Strain the lavender out.

Soak gelatin sheets in tap water until soft. Combine lavender cream with sugar and bring to a boil in a medium sauce pan. As soon as cream begins to boil, remove from the heat, take gelatin out of water and whisk it into cream. Pour into a large bowl (stainless steel works best, better than glass and plastic doesn’t conduct cold at all) and cool over an ice bath, stirring until it’s room temperature or cooler. Ladle into cups or bowls and refrigerate until cold and firm.

Mix the peaches with the lemon juice and sugar, serve on top of the pannacotta.

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Gina Stipo and Mary Stipo Potter | Ecco La Cucina | 1-972-342-8308| Email | Website