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Panna cotta, which is Italian for “cooked cream,” is one of those desserts that cooks either get so right you want to play kiss the chef or so wrong that you want to deliver a swift kick.

There is no in-between. I’ve had versions ruined with the likes of grana padano cheese, rosemary and pistachios, which destroyed both texture and flavor. I’ve also ruined one or two myself by using too much gelatin. The end result was more like Cream Jell-O rather than a dessert that can be a form of culinary seduction.

I was surprised to discover just how easy Thomas Keller’s version was in “Ad Hoc at Home.” The celebrated chef, who also owns the French Laundry, didn’t dress his panna cotta up, except by using sour cream, buttermilk and crème fraîche to give it a tangy taste.

His version doesn’t really “cook” too much, which is fine. Just don’t expect to up-end this version onto a serving plate. It’s better to use a martini glass or a special bowl for each serving.

As Keller says, “Panna cotta can be served plain or enhanced with a compote or a sauce.” And I’ve included my own at the end.

Panna Cotta

1 1/2 teaspoons powdered, unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon water
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk or 1/4 cup buttermilk and 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream

Put the gelatin in a small cup and add the water. Let stand for about 5 minutes to soften.

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

Spoon about 1/2 cup of the mixture into a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring, just to warm. Add the softened gelatin, stirring to dissolve. Rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers; it should not feel gritty. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes; then stir the gelatin mixture into the sour cream mixture.

Whip the crème fraîche in a mixer until it thickens and holds a shape. Fold in the sour cream mixture, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Spoon into six 4- to 5-ounce martini glasses, ramekins or bowls. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or up to 2 days.

Top with your favorite sauce. For one variation, see below.

Makes 6 servings.

Adapted from “Ad Hoc at Home” by Thomas Keller

Blueberry Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sweet wine, red or white
1/4 cup sugar
1/4-1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
About 1-2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat, but don’t let it burn. Add white and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then reduce by half. Add blueberries, a generous squeeze of juice from a lemon, a pinch of salt and freshly grated nutmeg. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

From John Griffin

Tim Laird and Steven Hughes of Canadian Mist

When Steven Hughes was growing up, he never dreamed his studies would lead to a job with the title master blender/spirits scientist.

Likewise, Tim Laird’s visions of being a CEO had little to do with being “chief entertaining officer.”

Yet that’s what the two have become for Canadian Mist. Together, they’re a sort of a contemporary Martin and Lewis, traveling the country to extol the virtues of the whiskey cocktail in a manner that’s tasty, humorous and maybe even a little enlightening.

The duo will be at the McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels, this Thursday for a special presentation that benefits the museum, “Mistology: The Science Behind the Cocktail.”

The purpose? “We want to get you thinking differently about your whiskey cocktails,” Hughes said in a telephone conference call recently.

Mistopolitan

To do that, they talk about a few favorites, such as the old fashioned and the whiskey sour. Hughes presents the science behind the distillation of whiskey as well as the history of the cocktail, while Laird provides “the entertainment.”

“Did you know that the original whiskey sour was made with egg whites?” Laird said, adding that the recipe was once a mixture of whiskey, simple syrup, egg white and freshly squeeze lemon juice.

The perfect simplicity of that drink, like many other potent potables, got corrupted over the years with the introduction of corn syrup-filled mixers, prefab citrus products that have no real citrus in them and other shortcuts that cut the cocktail short on flavor.

But with a growing interest in handcrafted drinks across the country, thanks in part to period movies on cable and shows like the two-martini lunch world of “Mad Men,” an increasing number of people are refusing to settle for a second-rate drink.

That’s where Hughes and Laird step in. “We want to take the intimidation away from making cocktails,” Laird said. “We want you to have fun at home and entertain with these things.”

Mist Fizz

One drink on the menu is sure to be a surprise to some in attendance. The duo plan to present a whiskey version of the cocktail that practically flows in our veins here in San Antonio. I mean, of course, the margarita.

Their variation is made with Canadian Mist, a Canadian whiskey, as well as lime juice and agave nectar. Laird assured me that it was not meant to replace our old standby, but merely to offer a new way of thinking about it.

Whichever way you make it, don’t forget to use freshly squeezed lime juice, both said. It makes all the difference in the world in terms of flavor and is one of the basic building blocks of an outstanding cocktail.

“If we can get you to be more conscious of simple, fresh ingredients, that’s a great first step” Hughes said.

Only a few tickets remain for “Mistology: The Science Behind the Cocktail,” which begins at 6 p.m. Thursday at the McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels. The event is open to anyone 21 years of age and older with admission of $8 per museum member or $10 per non-member. All proceeds benefit the McNay. Call (210) 805-1763 or e-mail reservations@mcnayart.org.

For a pair of recipes for Canadian Mist-based cocktails, click here.

The question isn’t whether it’s going to be “The Hurt Locker” or “Avatar.” For true Oscar junkies, the question is, what are you going to serve at the party?

Oscar parties in recent years have become as popular as the telecast itself.

People love to get together to cheer on their favorites over a few themed dishes or trash some starlet’s outrageous dress while downing another specialty drink whipped for the occasion.

This year, your chances to show off your creativity have expanded somewhat because there are 10 nominees for best picture.

You can go classy and serve French cheeses to go with “An Education.” Think baked brie or a warm goat cheese salad with a touch of honey and thyme. Or you could go gross and make a thick stew that looks like the dog food in “District 9.”

The Hurt Locker

“The Hurt Locker” is set in Iraq. Though little food is consumed, the setting has inspired us to create a hummus with a fiery kick of red chile in it. Don’t want the heat? The recipe includes a number of suggested variations, so you can make one to your own liking.

Kosher deli meats for a sandwich tray could fit “A Serious Man.” Just leave the cheeses away from that one.

The main character in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (yes, that’s the complete title of the movie) is pregnant, so why not haul out the dill pickle spears and, maybe, wrap each in a slice of Black Forest ham. Again, this is not something to serve in vicinity of someone who keeps kosher.

Blue food isn’t all that appetizing, despite what Percy Jackson might say in “The Lightning Thief.” So, make a toast to “Avatar” instead, using blue curaçao in a cocktail honoring the film. We offer recipes for an “Avatar”-ini and an “Avatar”-ita to make the evening fly by.

Avatar

Think of a pasta dish, using those twisted spirals, to go with Brad Pitt’s equally twisted Italian accent in “Inglourious Basterds.”

Those who saw “Up” know that the mythical bird Kevin loves to munch on candy bars. For that, we offer Bird Seed, a special cookie that will please your guests as much as they would Kevin.

I’ve heard “The Blind Side” compared to cinematic comfort food, which could mean anything from meatloaf to apple pie, depending on whether you need a savory or a sweet dish at your party.

If you are really into preparing for an Oscar party, then take a trip to Costco or Sam’s Club and stock up on some pretzels, peanuts and granola bars. Create your own snack packs to go with all the airline travel in “Up in the Air.” You could also serve drinks from a host of mini-bar bottles.

Up

That covers the 10 best picture nominees, but we’re not done yet. We can’t forget one of the best actress nominees, Meryl Streep, who plays Julia Child in the savory comedy “Julie & Julia.” For this, we recommend — what else? – Child’s tempting Boeuf Bourguignon recipe, which was a centerpiece in the film and can be served in small bowls (or large) to your guests.

Finally, we remind you of a few takes we recently offered on popcorn, the perfect food for movies, Oscar parties or just relaxing at home.

The 82nd Academy Awards air at 7 p.m. Sunday.

(Photos: Darren Decker / ©A.M.P.A.S. (top),  Courtesy of Summit Entertainment, Mark Fellman/Courtesy of 20th Century-Fox, Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios)

Glenn Dorn has no idea how old his chuck wagon is. He bought it back in 1967. At that time, it was at least 80 years old, according to the earliest documented mention of it. But it’s likely to be 10 years older, he said.

In the 43 years he has owned it, the St. Hedwig resident has traveled with his restored wagon to countless shows around the area, meeting up with other chuck wagon enthusiasts, all of whom love to haul out their collection of cast-iron pots and pans before preparing a meal under the open skies.

Last Saturday, Dorn’s was one of seven wagons on display at the Medina County Fairgrounds in Hondo. This Saturday, he’ll take it to at the Heritage Gathering Chuck Wagon Cook-Off in Boerne.

These are generally charitable events, with last Saturday’s benefiting the D’Hanis Independent School District, while proceeds from the fifth annual Boerne Chuck Wagon Cook-off and Heritage Gathering go to support the city’s Agricultural Heritage Museum.

“All of these wagons are old,” he said of the gathering. “I’d say all are over 100 years old.”

All have been taken care of with the same love and respect that Dorn has shown his. The wood gleams in the light, Each has a collection of antique tins, scales and other equipment you’d have found on a wagon stationed on a ranch in the late 19^th century or one accompanying a trail ride. They also have a variety of humorous touches adding to the hominess of the camp site.

Dorn, for example, had a pair of red long johns hanging on a clothesline outside the tent.

The menu at each chuck wagon cook-off reflects what the cowboys ate back then: meat and potatoes, beans, bread and peach cobbler. The meat is chicken-fried steak with gravy. The beans seasoned with specks of pork fat. The cobbler made with canned peaches.

Yet that’s where the similarities seem to end. Some pound their chicken-fried steak out thin, others opt for a thick cut. One cook may produce a cobbler with bits of doughy dumplings, another might add a touch of almond or a little extra butter. One offers a cobbler made with dried apricots on her catering menu.

Some show up specifically for the competition. Dorn likes being a part of the scene, regardless of who wins. “We just come for the camaraderie,” he said.

Dorothy Douthit brought her Fiddle Fire wagon, built in 1606, down from San Angelo. She has had it since 2003.

On one level, having the chuck wagon gives the teacher a chance to bring a part of Texas history alive to her students and help them understand something of life on the trail during the westward expansion.

It’s also a chance to offer a Texan-style catering set-up, with a menu that goes beyond the cook-off list to include fajitas or even a turkey dinner prepared over an open fire.

She throws in her fiddle playing as part of the experience.

Douthit won’t be able to make the Boerne event because she plays in the San Angelo Orchestra, which has a performance scheduled for that evening. On those occasions, her fiddle becomes a violin.

But she would love to be there, and at any cook-off. “We love to come to competitions,” she said. “It helps us to stay in the loop.”

On the side of her wagon is a stuffed buzzard, aptly named Buzz. “We let him take care of anybody who bothers the cook,” she joked.

It takes a team to operate a chuck wagon smoothly.

Douthit and her business partner had a few students helping them out. Meanwhile, Dorn’s companion, daughter and son-in-law all pitched in last Saturday to make the work easier.

Then the wagons roll off, not drawn by horses. These antiques are too precious to be wheeling down today’s highways. They’re loaded up on flatbeds before heading off into the sunset.

For more information on how to care for cast-iron cookware, click here.

The fifth annual Boerne Chuck Wagon Cook-Off and Heritage Gathering will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Agricultural Heritage Museum, 102 City Park Road, Boerne. Tickets including a meal are $20 apiece. Admission to the grounds without the meal is $5 for adults. Call (830) 249-7277.

When Consumer Reports recently reported that those bags of triple-washed salad greens are really not pristine, cooks find themselves split into two camps: Those who believed and didn’t wash and those who always felt that “triple washed” didn’t necessarily mean clean.

I’m not as fastidious in the kitchen as some, including a friend of mine. She uses a fork or spoon while cooking, then stops in mid-action to take the utensil to the sink, wash it with dish soap and put it into the dishwasher.  I feel this interrupts the creative flow.

But I do always wash those triple-washed salad greens. Not that I think the packer is lying, that the greens weren’t really washed three times — I just can’t imagine that washing and packing something as delicate as lettuces on such a major scale offers too many opportunities for the unwanted to happen.

The report didn’t find pathogens such as E. coli, listeria or salmonella. But other bad bugs turned up.

“Several industry experts we consulted suggested that for leafy greens, an unacceptable level of total coliforms or enterococcus is 10,000 or more colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) or a comparable estimate. In our tests, 39 percent of samples exceeded that level for total coliforms and 23 percent for enterococcus,” said the report.

I wash salad greens in a roomy, stainless steel colander, splashing them around in cool water and shaking them as dry as I can by hand. Some use a salad spinner and that’s fine. I like to shake as much water off as possible, then repackage the greens in a clean, zip-lock bag. The few drops of water remaining on the lettuces seem to help keep them crisper — at least when you use them in the first couple of days.

That brings us to one of the suggestions in Consumer Reports. In addition to washing the salad greens or spinach, you should look at the “use by” dates and pick up a box where that date is as far in the future as you can find. (I do this with dairy products, too, even though I always have the slightest feeling that I’m cheating by taking the containers further back on the shelf.)

Also, and this is just common sense, try to keep the greens away from raw meat, or unwashed counters or cutting boards. In fact, I’d say that where salad and raw meat are concerned, one might wish to be as meticulous as my friend.

The food distributor Ben E. Keith filled the San Antonio Convention Center Wednesday with an array of the latest in prepared foods, from appetizers and corn dogs, fried sweet potatoes and deep-fried green beans, tamales and French pastries to fried catfish and marinated steaks.

The annual gathering, from one of the largest full-service, institutional distributors in the nation, also showcased new appliances, packaging and equipment for restaurants and other food service businesses.

Schwan’s Foods was offering tastes of their new pizza with a whole grain crust; Bueno Foods passed out tamales, while another booth showed off a new breakfast product: a pancake rolled around a sausage on a stick, dipped in a cornmeal batter and deep fried. Blue Bell offered ice cream and frozen novelties, including a new Neapolitan ice cream sandwich.

Lamb Weston, one of the largest purveyors of potatoes in the world, put out a plateful of french fries to show how they held up under the hot lamps (very well), and their sweet potato fries. “One of the biggest trends today is the sweet potato. We believe in sweet potatoes so much we’re building a sweet potato plant in Louisiana,” said a representative at the booth.

Matthew and Mark Seiler of Maine Root

Matthew Seiler of Maine Root sodas offered samples of his root beer, ginger brew, sarsaparilla and more, all made with organic evaporated cane juice imported from Paraguay. In six years, his lineup has gone from his home state clear across the country. “We’re nationwide now,” he said. (One restaurant that sells Maine Root Ginger Brew is Romeo’s Italian Grill & Bar, 115 N. Loop 1604 E.)

It may seem odd to showcase Pioneer products in the company’s hometown, but not everyone knows the extent of its lineup, said Kelly Crull, who is in charge of foodservice sales for South Texas. “Sure, they know our pancakes, our biscuits and our gravy,” he said. But they might not know the company’s line of sauces, including a cheese sauce that could be turned into a cheese ball.

The event wasn’t all about prepared foods, however.

A stage at the center of the hall was used for demonstrations, talks and a chef competition.

Robb Walsh (left) and Chef Scott Cohen (right) discussing oysters.

One of the speakers was cookbook author and food critic Robb Walsh, who discussed Texas oysters with chef Scott Cohen of Pavil and Watermark Grill. Walsh later autographed copies of his book, “Sex, Death and Oysters,” which tells of his lengthy love of the tasty bivalves. He also had the galley proofs of his latest book, “The Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard Barbacoa Cookbook,” which is due out in May from Broadway Books.

Each of the events on the stage was broadcast on big screen TVs that could be seen throughout the hall as well as on KeithTube, the company’s new method of using video to showcase products and techniques to customers and consumers.

Jim Smith, a market manager for General Mills, took to the stage to discuss how restaurants can better market their products, from being involved in their neighborhoods to making use of social media.

Restaurants need to use new ways to get the word out about their business. “It’s not by word of mouth anymore, it’s with Facebook, e-mail and Twitter,” he said.

Listening from a table near the stage, restaurant owner Charlie Gonzalez, who owns Chentes Mexican restaurant in Alice, said he was getting  good information from the presentation.

“Nowadays,” he said, “everything is helpful.”

Wine lovers, it’s time to stock your cellars. The winners of this year’s KLRN Wine Competition have been announced.

This year, the best in show winners went to a robust Texas red and an icewine made with the uncommon grape Vidal. The champions are the Becker Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Wilmeth Vineyard 2007 and the Jackson Triggs Vidal Ice Proprietor’s Reserve 2007.

The judges sampled more than 500 wines and awarded about 300 gold, silver and bronze medals. The wines were from all over the world, from Spain and Italy to Canada and Australia.

In the end, medals went to a host of well-known wineries, including Trinchero, Sutter Home, Rodney Strong, Franciscan, Banfi and Marques de Riscal.

In addition to Becker Vineyards, Texas wineries to win medals include Brennan Vineyards, Dry Comal Creek, Flat Creek Estate, Grape Creek, Haak, Kiepersol Estates, Llano Estacado, McPherson Cellars, Mandola, Messina Hof, Pillar Bluff, Singing Water, Sister Creek, Texas Hills Vineyard and Water 2 Wine.

For a complete list, click on the PDF link below.

KLRN Wine Competiton – 2010 Medalits

When I was growing up, one of the last things I wanted to do was work in the garden.

For decades now, my parents have planted an annual garden, filled with lettuces, radishes, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, onions, garlic, corn, kohlrabi and the like, in addition to the fruit bushes laden with raspberries, red currants, strawberries, figs and more. Since I moved away, they have added apple, nectarine and pear trees, all of which can thrive in the Louisville, Ky., climate.

But the idea of digging up earth to plant seeds or, worse, to weed around the tender young shoots was, as a city kid, my idea of torture. I loved the food, mind you, especially those white icicle radishes with their lively bite and the salads made of oak leaf lettuce; I just never wanted to have to work for it.

I certainly didn’t want to get my hands filthy from all that mud. Who knew was crawling in all that dirt! I was never one to play with earthworms or bugs beyond the lightning bugs that sparkled each summer evening.

Times change, and people change.

Over the past few years, I have been planting more and more herbs in pots. Basil, thyme, sorrel, rosemary, chives, lovage – you name it. Last year, I added peppers and tomatoes to the mix, but everything was largely in pots. Why?

Pots are easy. If a plant dies, you just pull it out of the dirt and start all over.

And many of my plants don’t make it. Friends claim I have a black thumb. I prefer to think of myself as a Darwinian farmer. I’ve taken the time to plant the plant, but if it doesn’t survive on its own, then that the plant’s fault.

Last year, I began to change my mind. I was going figure out ways to make my plants healthier. I gave them compost plus rich soil that worked into the clay. I also learned when to water many of them. Some, like the sorrel, got water sometimes twice a day in the nasty heat; others got water every other day.

The recent deep freezes took a few of the herbs, including the thyme, the basil and mostly likely the lemon grass. But others, including the mint, are already starting to come back.

Yet I want to go further.

This weekend, I dug up a chunk of my backyard and dug in both hands to work through some of the muddy clumps. I rejoiced in the sight of all the worms and crawly things in the rich soil under the layer of grass that died in last year’s scorching heat. Digging up the soil didn’t break my back and I was finished a lot quicker than I thought I would be. Of course, my MP3 player helped.

Planting seeds has changed somewhat since I was a kid. Ferry-Morse seed company now offers something called planting strips. Forgive me if I am as out-of-date on these things as George H.W. Bush was when he first encountered a bar code scanner, but I had no idea you could by seeds already spaced out and placed inside a strip. Simply plant the strip in the soil as deep as the package says and wait. The lettuce strips should sprout within seven to 10 days, the package promises.

But I didn’t stop there.

I had to plant some old-fashioned seeds, which were for arugula and radishes, the latter of which remains a favorite food and one that is better when just picked.

I also picked up some tomato plants, not to plant in the soil but to do something the Bexar County Master Gardener Hotline calls “potting up.”

“Do you believe homegrown tomatoes are superior to store bought?” David Rodriguez, Texas Agrilife Extension service horticulturist for the county, writes in a handout I picked up at the stock show recently. “If so, February is the time for you to ‘pot up’ your spring tomatoes.”

What is this exactly? “Planting tomato transplants into containers to take advantage of growth and still be able to protect them from cold weather,” Rodriguez explains. “Until mid-March or the first of April when the weather stabilizes enough to place the transplants in the vegetable garden or plant them in large containers with a 16- to 20-inch diameter.” (Think of the forecast that it will drop below freezing on Tuesday.)

For more information on potting up or starting your own garden, call the Master Gardener Hotline at (210) 467-6575 or click here. And don’t be as silly as I was all these years. Yes, I now have a speck or two of dirt under my nails, but that will disappear with the help of a nail file. But it’s worth price to get my own fresh vegetables.

Get your kids involved, too. They may not thank you now, but they should eventually.

The first-ever Cocina de las Americas, a one-day community event, will be held on the grounds of the Pearl, 312 Pearl Parkway, on March 14.  Chefs will vie for a prize, competing Iron Chef style, to make the best Spanish Paella, the country’s famous rice dish.

H-E-B/Central Market are presenting sponsors of this community event, in partnership with the Culinary Institute of America.  Co-chairs of the event are Chef Johnny Hernandez of True Flavors and Dya Campos, Director of Public Affairs for H-E-B.  The San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and New World Wine and Food Festival also are supporting and promoting the event.

The public is invited to enjoy live entertainment and sampling of food from Spain, including sangria, Spanish hams and cheeses and an array of tapas, or Spanish small plates, prepared by CIA San Antonio students.

All food and beverage stations will be located in the Fountain Plaza. Live entertainment will be in the Main Stage Train area.

Chefs will compete with a full pantry of ingredients while guests can watch the cooking action in full swing.

Proceeds from ticket sales will go toward scholarship opportunities to the CIA San Antonio to benefit local chefs.  A portion of proceeds will also go to the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Office of the Honorary Council to Spain for educational initiatives benefiting San Antonio students.

Admission to the festival is $40. Doors open to the public at 11 a.m., judging is at 1:45 p.m. and the event ends at about 4 p.m. Tickets are $40; $20 ages 21 and under. Tickets can be purchased online at nwwff.frontgatetickets.com and www.ciacocinadelasamericas.com.