• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
LunaCafe

LunaCafe

Regional, seasonal food with original recipes by Susan S. Bradley

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Getting Started
    • About LunaCafe
    • About Susan S. Bradley
    • About James H. Bradley
  • Holiday
    • Christmas Cookies: Deck the Halls
    • Christmas Cookies: Silver Bells
    • Christmas Favorites: Silver Moon
    • Christmas Cookies: Starry Night
  • Fresh Primers
    • Apple Primer
    • Apple Cider Primer
    • Artichoke Primer
    • Blueberry Primer
    • Cherry Primer
    • Cranberry Primer
    • Lentil Primer
    • Pear Primer
    • Rhubarb Primer
    • Strawberry Primer
    • Winter Squash Primer
    • Cranberry Garnishes
    • Temperature Guide for Cooking
  • Show Search
Hide Search
Home/Salads/Prawn & Strawberry Salad with Fresh Herb Panna Cotta

Prawn & Strawberry Salad with Fresh Herb Panna Cotta

Prawn & Strawberry Salad with Fresh Herb Panna Cotta

This past spring, I had a salad at Ten01 in Portland, Oregon that rocked my world. It featured micro salad greens, roasted yellow beets, a tangy vinaigrette and a creamy mixture underneath the salad that the kitchen billed as panna cotta. Every time my fork got a bit of that creamy mixture, my palate did a little dance.

I was having lunch with my manager, who happened to be in Portland for the day (something about his daughter’s squash tournament), and we were sharing this dish in the center of the table. Neither of us spoke until every last bite was gone.

Now if you are familiar with the creamy, slightly gelatinized dessert know as panna cotta, let me assure you that the creamy mixture in this salad was not that. It had no perceivable gelatin and it was of course savory rather than sweet.

Coincidentally, that very weekend, I happened upon Jacobs Creamery at the Hillsdale Farmers Market and sampled their all natural, herbed cream cheese. It was spectacular, and I spooned quenelle-shaped lozenges of it on an array of summer salads the entire next week. But then sadly, it was gone, and I was back in Seattle.

Mise-en-Place for Prawn & Strawberry Salad with Fresh Herb Panna Cotta

Thus began the experimentation to come up with a reasonable facsimile that I could produce on the spur of the moment with ingredients typically hanging out in our frig. As it turns out, natural process cream cheese is not so easy to come by outside of a farmers market. So I began blending Philadelphia brand cream cheese with small amounts of farmers or goat cheese and handfuls of fresh herbs. Because of the emulsifiers used in grocery store cream cheese, a little cream is required to lighten the mixture to just the right ultra-creamy degree.

I have no idea why Ten01 chose to hide the panna cotta under the salad, other than the delightful surprise of it. But, I prefer to show it off in the center of the salad. To get an oval shape, grab 2 teaspoons, plunge one into the panna cotta, extracting about 2 tablespoons of the mixture, and then slide the other spoon under the mixture, repeating with the other spoon, and so forth until an oval form is obtained. It’s far easier to do than it is to describe.

Fresh Herb Panna Cotta, Shaped and Ready to Serve

I meant to share this salad with you earlier in the season but time got away from me. Hopefully, you can still find some local fresh strawberries.

Prawn & Strawberry Salad with Fresh Herb Panna Cotta

Get ready for the ohhs and ahhs when you bring this salad to the table. It’s visually stunning and delectable down to the last bite. There is a world of intriguing tastes and textures here, each one complementing the others.

Serving Note In the quantity suggested here, this salad can be an entire simple dinner for four, especially on a warm summer or early fall evening. A loaf of freshly baked bread is the only accompaniment necessary. (But, you will of course have room for dessert.)

Fresh Herb Panna Cotta

1 small handful fresh mint

1 small handful fresh flat leaf parsley

1 small handful fresh basil leaves

1 clove garlic, peeled

8 ounces cream cheese (preferably local, natural process with no emulsifiers)

2 ounces creamy, fresh goat cheese

1 tablespoon heavy cream

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Honey Lime Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons best quality red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon local honey, warmed

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

¼ cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil

finely grated zest of one lime

1 large clove minced garlic

1 teaspoon coarsely ground fragrant black pepper

fine sea salt

Salad

4 cups micro greens, rinsed under cold water and dried in a salad spinner or with paper towels, then torn into bite-size pieces as necessary

1 English cucumber, ends trimmed, sliced lengthwise and then crosswise into ¼-inch half-moons

2 cups local strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced in half lengthwise

20 prawns (20-31 count), about 1 pound, shelled with tails left on, deveined, and sautéed in a little olive oil until just pink

½ red onion, sliced

  1. Complete the mise-en-place as indicated in the list of ingredients.
  2. To make Fresh Herb Panna Cotta, in a processor fitted with the steel blade, chop the fresh herbs and garlic.
  3. Add the cream cheese and goat cheese, and pulse until smooth.
  4. Add the cream and blend.
  5. Season to taste with salt, blend, remove to a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
  6. To make Honey Lime Vinaigrette, in a small nonreactive bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, lime juice, olive oil, lime zest, garlic, and pepper until emulsified. Add salt to taste. Hold momentarily.
  7. To make the salad, in a large bowl, combine the salad greens, cucumber, strawberries, prawns, and onion.
  8. Add the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as necessary.
  9. On each of 4 serving plates, arrange a portion of salad and place an oval scoop of the Fresh Herb Panna Cotta in the center. Grind black pepper over the top.
  10. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

COPYSCAPE

Written by:
Susan S. Bradley
Published on:
September 4, 2009

Categories: Salads, Seafood, StrawberriesTags: panna cotta, prawns, recipe, salad, Strawberries

About Susan S. Bradley

Intrepid cook, food writer, culinary instructor, creator of the LunaCafe blog, author of Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking, and former director of the Northwest Culinary Academy.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Pigpigscorner

    September 10, 2009 at 5:55 am

    savoury panna cotta…interesting, I’ve only had it sweet. Great flavours and textures here!
    .-= Pigpigscorner´s last blog ..Travel-Eating in Kent: The Sportsman*, Seasalter [Restaurant Review] =-.

    • sms bradley

      September 15, 2009 at 7:55 pm

      Yes, Pigpig, it was a new idea to me as well. Now I am riffing on it like crazy though. Such a useful concept. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

  2. sms bradley

    September 6, 2009 at 3:26 pm

    LOL, Louise and thank you! I was in Costco yesterday and they had huge trays of fabulous looking strawberries. Of course, they aren’t local, and they look better than they taste but, well, sometimes desperation makes us do strange things. 🙂 Left a comment on yout blog. I LOVE that you keep track of all the food holidays for us. So much fun! …Susan

  3. lisaiscooking

    September 5, 2009 at 6:31 am

    The herb panna cotta sounds divine! Now, I’ll be on the look-out for a naturally made cream cheese.
    .-= lisaiscooking´s last blog ..Chocolate Dipped Pecan Brittle with Green Chile Salt =-.

    • sms bradley

      September 6, 2009 at 3:35 pm

      Thank you, Lisa! I was really amazed at the difference between natural and grocery store cream cheese. The natural is quite expensive unfortunately but so worth it in my book. Left a note on your blog. That brittle is friggin’ amazing!

  4. BAKING is my ZeN

    September 4, 2009 at 8:03 pm

    Nice post. The photos are Fabulous!
    .-= BAKING is my ZeN´s last blog ..Summer Breeze (like dessert) Makes Me Feel Fine =-.

    • sms bradley

      September 6, 2009 at 3:40 pm

      Thanks so much! BTW, you are torturing me with that picture of a half eaten cupcake with the most delicous looking frosting on your blog. Oh my! …Susan

Trackbacks

  1. Indian Summer Tomato, Orange & Sweet Onion Salad says:
    February 1, 2015 at 1:38 pm

    […] Fresh Herb Panna Cotta […]

  2. Tuscan Melon & Blackberry Salad with Prosciutto & Yogurt Chevre Dressing says:
    February 1, 2015 at 11:41 am

    […] Prawn & Straw­berry Salad with Fresh Herb Panna Cotta […]

  3. Balaton Cherry & Lime Crisp with Toasted Almond Streusel says:
    February 1, 2015 at 10:42 am

    […] Prawn & Strawberry Salad with Fresh Herb Panna Cotta […]

  4. Lemon & Thyme Marinated Artichoke, Tiger Prawn & Strawberry Salad says:
    January 16, 2015 at 4:15 am

    […] Prawn & Strawberry Salad with Fresh Herb Panna Cotta […]

  5. Warm Spinach Mushroom Salad with Bacon Honey Dressing says:
    December 30, 2014 at 5:40 pm

    […] Prawn & Strawberry Salad with Fresh Herb Panna Cotta […]

  6. Indian Summer Tomato, Orange & Sweet Onion Salad says:
    November 20, 2013 at 4:15 am

    […] Fresh Herb Panna Cotta […]

  7. Our Empty Nest says:
    August 3, 2012 at 10:41 am

    […] Photos: Closet Cooking | Italian Recipes | Luna Cafe. […]

Primary Sidebar

Susan S. Bradley

Intrepid cook, food writer, culinary instructor, creator of the LunaCafe blog, author of Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking, and former director of the Northwest Culinary Academy. Read More…

Find Recipes By Category

Recent Adventures

Fresh Apricot Ginger Peasant Cake

Fresh Apricot Ginger Peasant Cake is a simple, earthy cake in the Clafouti …

Continue Reading about Fresh Apricot Ginger Peasant Cake

Mulled Apple Cider with Winter Spices

Mulled Apple Cider with Warm Winter Spices, Cayenne & Hibiscus

Have you ever wondered what “mulled” actually means? As in Mulled Apple Cider? I always assumed …

Continue Reading about Mulled Apple Cider with Warm Winter Spices, Cayenne & Hibiscus

Apple Pandowdy (Juicy Caramel, Upside-Down, Broken Crust Skillet Pie)

Apple Pandowdy (Juicy Caramel, Upside-Down, Broken Crust Skillet Pie)

Okay first things first. What's a pandowdy? Or is it pan dowdy? And does "dowdy" mean what I …

Continue Reading about Apple Pandowdy (Juicy Caramel, Upside-Down, Broken Crust Skillet Pie)

Blueberry Lavender Limeade

After I created Fresh Blueberry Lime Sauce earlier this summer, I devoted myself to spooning it over …

Continue Reading about Blueberry Lavender Limeade

Search our site

Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates and to hear about our latest adventures!

We won't sell your email or send you spam.

Explore more

Footer

The LunaCafe

Copyright 2014-2021 | Susan S. Bradley. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2023 · Navigation Pro by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

  • Block Examples