Matcha Green Tea Agar Agar with Sweet Black Sesame Sauce

When I think of Asian sweets, the flavor that comes to mind after mango, litchi and durian  is matcha green tea. I love pairing matcha with black sesame; I think the flavors go perfectly together.

Lulu and the girls made a beautiful rau câu birthday cake for my birthday several weeks ago, based on a recipe I posted. Rau câu means agar agar in Vietnamese.

I made a matcha agar agar jello cake paired with black sesame sauce and garnished it with fresh diced mangoes for color. The dessert tastes like a sweeten matcha green tea with a soft jelly texture.

Meyer Lemon Panna Cotta with Mint Jelly

I think I'm getting addicted to panna cottas. This dish is so easy to make. I still have a bunch of Meyer lemons from my garden and my herb box is already full of mint. As I was pulling the weeds out while gardening, it occurred to me that I could make a Meyer lemon panna cotta with a mint jelly. 

My husband loved it.  The lemon and mint go suprisingly well together, and the contrast in textures between the jelly and panna cotta brings another dimension to the dessert.

Israeli Couscous and Lentil Salad with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Gelee

I think Israeli couscous and lentils are a great combination. Lentils are often eaten with rice, and couscous is really just a grain shaped semolina pasta, so it's a perfect replacement.  

I added a roasted red bell pepper gelée for texture and flavor. It is basically a red bell pepper and walnut caviar, un caviar de poivrons aux noix in French, that I mixed with a little agar so it would hold its shape when I stack the layer of lentils, bell pepper and israeli couscous in a circle cutter for a nice appealing presentation.

Rose Panna Cotta with Grenadine Syrup and Crunchy French Pralines

Panna cotta is a very easy recipe. It is as versatile as crème brulée or pot de crème. The base is just a dairy with a gelling agent like agar or gelatin. You can create your own signature version by adding your own twist to it. You can use different flavors like rose, strawberry, pandan, peppermint, mocha or any other savory flavor that you can imagine. It is a true culinary chameleon.  

Savory Goat Cheese Panna Cotta with Beluga Lentil Relish (Panna Cotta au Chevre et sa Macedoine de Legumes)

Panna cotta de chèvre frais et sa macédoine de légumes is a summery dish. It was such a sunny day today in the Bay Area, so I decided to make something refreshing and light.

In case you don't know, panna cotta is a firm jelly. It can be either be savory or sweet. Instead of using gelatin, I used agar for the vegetarians in the house. I paired the panna cottas with mixed vegetables and lentils to get a balanced meal with proteins, dairy and veggies.  

I served them in little verrines. Verrine is just a fancy word for glasses but they are the latest trend in French cooking. If you host a buffet-style dinner, it's the ideal way to run a stress free party as this dish can be prepared in advance.