Friday, February 3, 2012

IS TERRA COTTA THE SAME AS PANNA COTTA?




It's almost February 14th and you know what that means: VD is right around the corner. So I'm sure you're planning a romantic Valentine's Day dinner for your "special someone." Awwww. :)


UNRELATED FACTOID: I love this holiday because it reminds me of the 5th Grade when Miriam Lipschitz (yes, pronounced "LIP shits")--hey, it was a Jewish elementary school-anyhow, when Miriam nervously asked me, "Buzzy, would you be my ValentiMe?" I said "I'd rather eat ground glass" but I still remember her fondly.


ANOTHER UNRELATED FACTOID: Ralph Lauren's real last name is actually Lipschitz too. Not kidding. But wait...OMG!.... I wonder if Miriam was related to Ralph which means I could've married her, become a filthy rich Lipschitz and pretended I belonged to the most restricted WASP country clubs just like Ralph and his POLO models do??? WAAAHHHHHH!!!!

But back to the big upcoming romantic dinner: If you're like me, you're wondering what to make for that killer dessert. The one your sweetheart will never forget.


I have the perfect answer : how about a yummy terra cotta Valentine (pronounced "TER uh COT duh"), drizzled with lots of sweet raspberry coulis (pronounced "COOL lee"). Talk about amuse-bouche!!! Pronounced "ahm mooz BOOSH." Trust me, it'll make for an unforgettable evening.


Uh, hang on a second.....lemme think here.... um, TERRA COTTA IS THE SAME AS PANNA COTTA, RIGHT?


Well, that depends. If your Valentine is stoned out of his mind-then yes, terra cotta and panna cotta are exactly the same. They both taste like chicken. Buzz's disclaimer on controlled substances: just say no to drugs and spend that money on antiques.

This is important because if your sweetheart is NOT smoking "Valentine weed" (or whatever they call it these days...somebody told me "420" (!?). But I may have just asked for the time-I can't remember I was so out of it....), anyhow if the bf/gf is sober, then the answer is NO, terra cotta is nothing like panna cotta! Here's a pair of late 19th c. terra cotta urns from C. Mariani Antiques, Restoration & Custom:

Would you eat them? Of course not! It's criminal to destroy a perfectly good antique. Duh.

Anyhow, Panna Cotta is a rich dessert that comes from a Jello mold--and it's SO easy to make! In fact, you can prepare it in advance if guests are coming to admire your collection of terra cotta.


Terra Cotta, on the other hand, is just mud that comes from the earth. Well, technically it's a reddish clay used for statues, totems and other objet d'art.


WELL KNOWN FACTOID: Terra cotta doesn't work as a dessert because it tastes gritty, clogs your colon and makes you extremely gassy. In other words, it's an acquired taste.

So now you know. Have a ROMANTIC Valentines Day.



7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is terra cotta the same as panna cotta?

A lot depends on who is doing the cooking. I have been offered cookies that make excellent bricks....

Notes From Flanders said...

Dear Buzz, LOVE your blog! My most recent post had to do Rigoletto, and I didn't mean that pasta dish.

Unknown said...

Thanks Renee, your blog is terrific too. Absolutely beautiful and a great read. I really recommend it to anyone interested in all things beautiful. But I now have a craving for pasta at the opera! Buzz

Jane Antonacci said...

I think it is the same if it is made with red and yellow beets combined.....

Arthur Dunnam/Jed Johnson Associates said...

Panna tastes much better! Nice to hear from you Buzz!

Arthur

Mary McDonald said...

You make me laugh. At least I knew that Terra Cotta and Panna Cotta were not the same. Phew.

MM

Unknown said...

FORWARDED BY THE BUZZ: Sometimes I get comments from clients, associates, friends, and new friends at my office email. One person who always takes the time to say something nice is one of our best clients Glenn H (yes, Glenn, this is YOU!). He always takes a second to shoot me an email and that's just a thoughtful and nice thing to do. It always makes my day and reminds me that some people are just darn nice. In his last email he mentioned something that made me laugh and I wish I had thought of that when I wrote this entry on Terra vs Panna Cotta:

"Hi Buzz,
Thank you for this; interesting and beautiful things. As you said, "Is Terra Cotta the same as Panna Cotta?" No, and neither is that delicious cocktail, the Pena Collata (My spelling is terrible, but I think you get the gist.).
Have a good week and please say "Hi" to Claudio.
With best regards,
Glenn"

This guy's a peach, huh? Really nice and clever to boot. From now on,I'm going to wash down my terra cotta with a couple Pena Collata's . THANKS GLENN!!! B.