The fruits of our labor.

I forgot how glorious summer in New England is. I may prefer mid-Atlantic winters (without their nor'easters), but I do love summer in Boston. Work has been a bit crazy for me lately, but the Fourth of July holiday long-ish weekend gave me a nice way to break up the work and the play (even if Saturday was spent entirely indoors staring at a laptop screen). I was well rewarded Sunday by a classic New England summer: an afternoon at beautiful Crane Beach, berry picking, and a lobster dinner.

You may remember my fall birthday post which featured apple picking at Russell Orchards in Ipswich, MA. Apples are the only you-pick fruit I've tried, so I jumped at the opportunity to pick raspberries (probably my favorite fruit next to peaches). This time my height gave me more of an advantage relative to Nick, as the best berries we found were hidden under short vines. After our lovely afternoon at the beach with friends, we raced the evening storm picking pints of luscious, ruby-red raspberries, and we even managed to snag some blueberries on our way out of the orchard. Raspberries funny to pick - when you pluck the berry off its stem, you leave behind an alarmingly large core which fills the hollow. You could tell which berries were ripest by which ones came away effortlessly from their centers. I was a little greedy and grabbed some slightly less-ripe ones, but my picking companions were a little more selective:

The berries (which made it home uneaten) made a lovely topping for a panna cotta I had made earlier in the week:

Our dinner at Woodman's of Essex (also a bit laborious, but equally well worth the effort):

It was, all around, a deliciously New England day.

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Panna cotta is, truly, one of the simplest and most delicious summer desserts ever...and it sounds fancy and foreign. The key is not to freak out - it really will unmold from the ramekin with a little coaxing. Flavor in infinite ways or serve with fresh fruit.

Goat Yogurt Panna Cotta

(from Farmers' Market Desserts, by Jennie Schacht)

Serves 4

1 1/4 t unflavored gelatin

2 T water

1 1/4 c heavy cream

1 c plain goat's milk yogurt

1 t pure vanilla extract

small pinch sea salt or Kosher salt

1/3 c granulated sugar

Sprinkle gelatin evenly over the water in a small bowl without stirring. Let stand until softened, about 10 min. Whisk together 1/2 c of the cream, the yogurt, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Gently heat the remaining 3/4 c cream with sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and bubbles begin to form along the edge of the pan. It should be warm but not so hot you can't touch it.

Remove from heat and, using a silicone spatula, scrape in the softened gelatin, then stir for a full minute to dissolve the gelatin completely. (Don't rush this step; it's important to fully melt the gelatin.) Stir the cream-gelatin mixture into the yogurt mixture.

Pour mixture into four 6-oz ramekins (or other containers - I found a glass with ridges inside for a pretty pattern), divide evenly. Cool completely and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hr. or up to 3 days. When ready to serve, run a knife around the edge of the container; you may need to encourage it out onto a plate.

(I macerated fresh berries in 2 T of Grand Marnier for half an hour with 1 T sugar, then spooned over the top of the panna cotta - it was awesome.)