Arrivals and Gardens

This has been another wonderful week in Florence. We are starting to prepare for midterms in classes, so the word stress possibly came up in a few conversations. It was quickly hidden by the fact that Austin was finally arriving to Italy on Thursday and I was headed to Rome on a class trip this weekend.

Wednesday night, Kenan and I spent some time making sweets for Austin's arrival. Since we have no oven in our apartment, we have to settle for no-bake (baked) goods. We made our own Reese's and they turned out to be pretty good-- but who knows, maybe it's just because we are deprived of the lovely chocolatey- peanut butter treat here in Italy.

Thursday morning, I came back from a run to hear the words "Train Strike" coming from Anna's mouth. Of. course. I became a bit worried that Austin wouldn't get here that day, but it turns out he made it here early and had not even heard of the strike until I brought it up. Really, only half (if that) of the trains were cancelled. The train station was pleasantly quiet as well-- so it all turned out for the best.


It was great to see him after 2 months of being here and even greater that I got to show him around the new city I had been living in and the new culture I had been experiencing. After dropping his stuff off at the apartment we headed our for a long walk around the city. Now, thinking back to how insanely tired I was when I arrived, I'm pretty impressed that he could walk at all or understand anything I was rambling on about for that matter. We decided to stay in that night because jet lag quickly overtook him, but the next day was completely jam packed with exploring the city. Many of the things we did, I had yet to see as well! We got up early to head to the Uffizi and see the greatest art of the Renaissance and earlier. I had really only seen about 4 rooms of work from the pre-session, so it was nice to continue the journey around the massive museum.


Afterwards, fog still rolling through the city, we set off to see the Boboli Gardens. Best idea. They were absolutely gorgeous and even with the cloudy skies, the pale green of the trees and water shone brilliantly through. We meandered through different parts of the garden, and as we headed to the far right gardens, the sun peaked through the clouds and the day was instantly beautiful. I had thought the gardens were nice, but boy did they sparkle as the sun broke through the canopy of trees we walked under. I had not been to the Boboli Gardens yet, and I now know I will definitely be back. Every turn was a different journey! After the gardens, stomaches grumbling, we headed to Gusta Pizza to try some of the best Pizza in Florence. Arriving right after school got out, we had to wait in line for a little while but the food was, as usual, very worth it.



That night for the sunset, we headed to my favorite place in Florence: Piazzale Michelangelo. People of all ages were there, some with wine, others with cameras, to press play and watch the sky turn to a deep pink and bright orange over the tuscan hills filled with olive trees. It was the best short film I had ever seen! Afterwards we headed to my favorite restaurant in town (so far), Baldovino (I told you it was a packed day). With a wonderful atmosphere and incredible food, it was a dinner well spent. Sleepy-eyed after a long day, we walked back to the apartment to hang out with everyone before Austin had to head to the hostel he was staying at that night. It was then time to say a quick goodbye again (this time only for a week and a half) as I was headed to Rome the next day at 5:45 am with the school and Austin is off to the northern region of Lombardia to WWOOF. We'll meet up again next week in Florence for my spring break and head to the Cinque Terre and Sardegna. Needless to say, I cant wait. My post about Rome will be up soon... definitely above expectations. Ciao for now!

Barcelona

A couple of weeks ago, I woke up and  really felt the urge to seize the day. How could I carpe the diem? Logging on to RyanAir of course! I came across a major deal to Barcelona, Spain that would leave in only a few short weeks. Quickly I asked if anyone wanted to go with me in the flat and Kenan took the bait. Here's the catch: we had to fly into Girona (and hour away from Barcelona) at 1:15 on friday (getting us to Barcelona at 3:15) then fly out of Girona on Sunday at 7:15. So there you have it a day in a half in a huge city--- how in the world could we possibly see everything? Well, you can't. But seize the day, you could possibly see a lot of incredible things. So here is my top-5-things-to-do-if-you-only-have-a-day-and-a-half-in-Barcelona. (You got it, another list). 

1. Parc Guell

Remember when you used to play Candyland in your mountain cabin on a rainy day? No? Okay... remember when you used to play Candyland when you were little? Yes? And remember when you wished there was a place you could go that mirrored the whimsical world of Candyland? Parc Guell is probably the closest you can get to the land of Candy (sans candy and the chocolate puddle monsters). From the metro you must walk up hundreds of steps (or for those who don't like stairs there is an escalator) to get to the Park. Totally worth every one of those steps. You come to winding gravel paths and discover the sight of Gaudi's Gingerbread-esque house. But thats not the only thing there. Besides wonderful views of the city, beautiful natural arbors, and incredible walking trails, you can find colorful displays of lizards and mosaics. If you have more than a day and half, I suggest spending the day relaxing in the sun of the Parc, people watch, and listen to the many "parc" performers. I absolutely loved my short time spent in the Parc... took me straight back to the days where I used to play Candyland with my parents at out mountain cabin.

2. Montjuic

Montjuic was the last thing we did, but it was certainly one of the best. You take a "funicular" from the metro station to a station where you can buy tickets for flying gondola's that take you up to a castle on top of Montjuic. The views from the gondola are breathtaking. We were there at the end of the day where the light was low and it was a perfect break from the hustle and bustle (yeah-- i just used that expression) of the center city. We spent a couple of hours up there writing and sketching and just sitting in the sun relaxing after a long day of walking. I can only imagine what it would be like around sunset!

3. Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia is Gaudi's masterpiece in the center of the city. It's like Barcelona's Duomo fast forward hundreds of years. The only thing I could think of when I saw it (besides its unique architecture and immense beauty) was the drip castles I spent hours on at the beach... Wow. Didn't know I was reminiscing of childhood activities so much when in Barcelona. But it's really hard not to with all of the childhood structures created by Gaudi's ingenious mind. The church was more beautiful on the inside with the sun shining through the beautifully orchestrated stain glass windows and incredibly ornamented ceilings. What we noticed most about the inside of the church was that it was actually very lit-- allowing sunlight to come in on all sides. The majority of the churches we have seen are all dark only allowing sunlight to glisten through the stain glass windows. The price to go inside is somewhat expensive (compared to our free admission to every museum in Paris), but is definitely worth it. And you get a discount with a student visa!

4. Sunset at the Olympic Stadium

Well, this was more of mistake than anything. We had just gotten to Barcelona and wanted to go to Montjuic for the sunset. Finally figuring out the metro system, we headed to the area where Montjuic supposedly was. Thanks to an international mobile phone conference we got lost and went the wrong way up the mountain. But not all who wander are lost and when you take the road less traveled by , it makes all the difference. (Obviously constructed that last sentence all on my own...) But I really do suggest going here for a sunset. The light reflecting off the water was picturesque and it gave an incredible view of the city! It was such a great find!!

5. The Gaudi Houses

Both of us were a little too cheap to go inside either of the casa's but honestly the outside was enough for me. The organic shapes and festive colors took me right back to Dr. Seuss. They were incredibly designed and surprisingly on one of the main streets where all of the brand name shops are. A spectacular view, and I can only imagine just how spectacular it would be on the inside!

With all of this walking, food is more than necessary. The first night, we went to a lovely restaurant called Pitarra. It has supposedly some of the best paella in the city. Of course, that was what I ordered  and Kenan got Tuna with potatoes. The two were shared and it was so good. We ordered a small bottle of wine for dinner and afterwards, I truly had the best dessert in Europe. (I said this last week...) It was coconut ice cream (real coconut shreds inside) served with a chocolate lampshade (basically a chocolate bowl with a wafer middle) and a rasberry swirl. But no that was apparently not enough when we were offered a pitcher of Sangria "on the house". Hey, we'll take it. The owners and waiters could not have been more nice and I recommend the restaurant to anyone who goes. As other food excursions go, the St. Josep Market is jam packed with colorful fruits and vegetables and fresh meat and fish.

Barcelona was truly a great experience! Maybe I should seize the day more often?

An Update

Lately, as my traveling schedule has multiplied from the first of the semester-- I seem to "live for the weekends". But this week as the sun finally peeked out of the clouds and brought the first real warm weather of the year, my weekdays are quite lively as well. I was able to get in a few great runs, a picnic by the Arno, and nice long walks. With this kind of weather--- I can't get enough of Florence. There are so many different landscapes to stumble upon and I'm really starting to appreciate the size of the city as well. I never thought I would consider it quaint!

School is in full session, and we have begun our first tests and quizzes... It's hard for me to really concentrate on pen and paper and textbooks when there is a whole new world for me to explore, but my goal this weekend is try and get back in the swing of things. (Mom, Dad: I'm not failing.) 

But for two of my favorite classes (Sketchbook and cooking-- wait you call those classes Ainslie?) it was a busy week! For Sketchbook in Florence we headed to the Accademia and spent most of our time sketching the David. Yes, THE David. He was more incredible than I had imagined. Of course I had seen the replica outside of Palazzo Vecchio, but never had set eyes on the real one. I still can't imagine how someone could take a block and carve a masterpiece like that. It was really great to be able to sketch the incredible work of art as well. As you can not take pictures inside the Accademia, it was my own little snapshot of the statue.

For cooking, we learned all about Pasta. And if you know anything about me, you know that my favorite food is pasta. We learned where certain dishes come from, what sauces to put on what pastas, the difference between fresh (a thicker pasta made with egg used for ravioli etc.) pasta and dry (less heavy, you don't have to refrigerate it) pasta is. Then we even got to make some of our own fresh pasta!! (see below for the recipe) We also learned how to roll the dough into the old shape of Maccaroni (in the past pasta had been called Maccaroni--all shapes--not pasta). With our homemade pasta we made our first fish dish.

Corzetti con Pascatrice

I personally think it could be made with any pasta, but we used a type of fresh pasta

Or you can make your own pasta:

300 gr flour

3 eggs

oil

salt

Make a foundation with the flour on the table, add the eggs in the middle, salt, and a few drops of oil. Work with the dough with your hands for about 10 to 15 minutes until it gives the elasticity of skin. Cover it with saran wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes at room temperature. 

Roll the dough/ flatten and cut into circle shape (3 cm diameter). You can use cookie cutters!

6 servings

400 gr  Monkey Fish (you can substitute swordfish--- cook for 2 min. longer)

4 ripes tomatoes

20 black olives

30 gr. pine nuts

1 garlic clove

1 bunch of basil

Oil

Salt 

Pepper

Wash the tomatoes, place them in boiling water. After a minute or so, take tomatoes out of water, peel, take out the seeds, and cut into cubes.

Cut the fish into cubes as well. Peel the garlic and saute in oil. Then add the fish in the same pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes and then add the tomatoes, pine nuts, olives (chopped), salt and pepper, and then cook for 8 minutes more. 

Cook the pasta in boiling water for 5 to 6 minutes, strain. Saute the pasta in the pan with the fish. Serve with chopped basil (tear don't cut basil to keep the flavor).

voila!

For our second dish, I enjoyed it so much and found it pretty easy that I made it for the flat on Thursday. I didn't exactly measure out everything to a T, so it wasn't as good as the kind we made in class, but nevertheless I really enjoyed it. It will definitely be a dish I make over and over again--- maybe one day I will get all the proportions correct.

Strozzapreti con Spinaci 

Serves 6

400 gr strozzapreti pasta (or any dry pasta would do)

120 gr spinach

30 gr white almonds

3 sun dried tomatoes (preserved in oil)

100 gr fresh goat cheese 

oil

salt

pepper

Boil Water.

Wash the spinach and dry. Chop 100gr of the spinach and put in a no stick pot.

Chop the almonds very fine and chop the sun dried tomatoes into 4 or five pieces. Add both into the pot of spinach. Sprinkle with salt and pepper an add 8 tablespoons of olive oil. Warm the mixture in a bagno marie (double boiler) for 15 minutes. Make sure to mix a few times.

Cook the pasta in the salty boiling water, strain and mix with the spinach mixture you just made. Place the pasta in a serving plate.

This is where it is up to you. If you are a goat cheese lover, add the cheese (has been cut into pieces) and sprinkle with more pepper and the raw left over spinach. However, if you are like me, and not the biggest fan of goat cheese, the dish is completely delicious and flavorful without it. 

Stay tuned for my post about our short but sweet trip to Barcelona! Ciao for now.

88 Thoughts About Paris

Ahh, Paris. It was the first trip in a long time where if you asked me "How was your trip?" I would not have shrugged a bit and wouldn't have just said "oh, it was good." and leave it at that. No. It would be more like... "Paris was great, it was so great, why don't you just sit right down and listen to hours upon hours of me telling you how great it was. In fact I'm going to tell every person I met, every thought I had, and every sight I see... sound good?" Not the answer you were expecting, was it? Paris was so perfect, it still feels like a dream. Did we really see all of that in 2 and a half days? Wait, I saw the Eiffel Tower? No... I couldn't have, it was just a weekend!

Since we don't have hours upon hours to sit here and chat about Paris, I compiled somewhat of a list about my happenings in this beautiful city. I like lists, but not the lets plan out my whole life list, or these are the things I must get done in the next hour lists (unless I have lots of things to get done in the next hour of course). No... more like the irrelevant, sporadic thought lists that make more sense in my head than down on paper. I will do my best to give you the full experience of my weekend in my 50 thoughts about (my trip to) Paris list.

1. Ryan Air isn't as stressful as I thought it would be.
2. I'd like to see what Beauvais (the place, 1 hr outside of Paris, that we flew into) is really like.
3. Peanut M&M's are the travelers paradise
4. When you have 3 people, a taxi isn't too expensive (for one ride)
5. Our hostel was one of the most lively place I saw in Paris.
6. Late night food shouldn't ever consist of Kabobs (but we didn't have any dinner...so it's okay, right?)
7. You should stay away from dorm style hostels if you snore, just a thought.
8. Dorm style hostels are actually really great, minus the snorers that don't stay away from them.
9. The French DO actually serve a baguette at every meal, and not JUST as a side.
10. A French baguette IS actually the greatest bread you'll ever taste.
11. Ascending from the metro station to the Pyramids outside of the Louvre was a great treat.
12. The Louvre almost looks like a shopping mall inside.
13. The Mona Lisa is actually really small.
14. Wait, the Code of Hammurabi is found at the Louvre? AND the Sphinx?
15. A vegetarian sandwich= green beans, cheese, potatoes, beets, and "salad" enclosed in a baguette.
16. How many baguettes do you think restaurants in Paris go through a day?
17. The Museo d'Orsay was the most amazing Museum I've been to.
18. You're not allowed to take pictures in the Museo d'Orsay.
19. I did. (Found the sign at the end of my visit...I promise!)
20. Toulouse Lautrec is deemed my favorite artist, sorry Degas and Rauschenberg.
21. With a student visa, we got into all of the Museums for free (except for one...)
22. Shakespeare & Company is actually the most beautiful bookstore you will ever see.
23. Fact: You don't have to be a descendant of the great writers to work there.
24. Question: Well then, how in the world can you?
25. Paris IS almost as wonderful in the rain.
26. The Pompidou Museum is incredibly hard to find, if you follow the signs. So don't follow the signs.
27. The Pompidou was our third museum of the first day.
28. Duchamp's Urinal has gone missing. (but really... where the **** was it?) Oh well...
29. If you don't know French, you should probably ask for an english menu.
30. Soup and bread (with butter) on a cold, rainy day is even better in Paris...
31. I just found out that Pain Perdu is french toast.
32. I had Pain Perdu with chocolate, fresh mint, and a scoop of ice cream for dessert.
33. It was not french toast, but rather my favorite dessert I have had in Europe.
34. Sadly, I did not see Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and the other greats at Midnight.
35. Breakfast of Champions: Half of a baguette with butter and jam and Black Tea with milk.
36. The Eiffel Tower is more beautiful than I expected it to be. (That's saying something)
37. I took too many pictures of the Eiffel Tower. I'm keeping all of them.
38. The walk from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe was lovely.
39. Champs Elysees wasn't as fabulous as I expected, thought I don't know what I expected.
40. Although there was huge line outside of Palace "Abercrombie and Fitch" Why? I don't know.
41. You could smell the infamous A&F cologne from the streets though...
42. I'm really glad we ended up going into our fourth museum, The Orangerie.
43. Monet's water lilies provided serenity and time to think. They were incredible too.
44. Menu: Sandwich Emmental: Baguette (of course), butter, and Emmental Cheese.
45. What it really meant: Sandwich Emmental: Bread and whole stick of cold butter.
46. St. Germain was probably my favorite district we saw.
47. Even in the winter (with no leaves or blooms) the Luxembourg Gardens were beautiful.
48. Once we got the hang of it, the metro system was incredibly easy and useful.
49. Pigalle (or Pig Alley), where Moulin Rouge is, was an interesting sight to say the least.
50. (But) the area includes a house of Van Gogh, studio of Toulouse Lautrec, and the cafe in Amelie.

So I've hit fifty... Did I mention that my special irrelevant, sporadic thought list is in no specific order (other than chronological)? We are only 3/4ths through the second day! This might actually turn out to be hours upon hours... I'll continue.

51. Kenan getting invited in to one of Pigalle's infamous...um...shops brought me to tears.
52. DON'T wait for a table at a nice french restaurant, people WILL pass you to the open table.
53. Salmon Quiche gave me my salmon fix without the price. Oh yeah, it was GOOD too.
54. Beef Tar Tar is actually raw. Like RAW, dog food raw. Kenan won't be ordering that again.
55. Amelie's in Charlotte came up in conversation at least 10 times (sorry Julia and Kenan...)
56. You can't get a drink (even soda and juice) for under 4 euro. Order tap water. They have it.
57. The most amazing couple from Napoli helped us get back to the Eiffel Tower at night.
58. We didn't get their name, but hope to magically see them in America (on their honeymoon...)
59. The Eiffel tower is just as amazing in the rain and even more incredible at night.
60. I took too many pictures of the Eiffel tower. I'm keeping all of them. (Oh, I already said that.)
61. For goodness sakes, GO to the bathroom before you wait in line to go up the tower.
62. The city is actually alive at night. Like the buildings were dancing and everything.
63. Number 62 was supposed to be joke, if you didn't get it move on to 64.
64. The sky at night on top of the tower was incredible, it lit up because of the stormy weather.
65. It's really windy on the tower, so try not to be blown away. Haha... double meaning.
66. There are little to no public restrooms in Paris when you really need them.
67. We made it to midnight (in Paris). Still, no Hemingway. (or Owen Wilson for that matter...)
68. The Notre Dame is beautiful. Inside and out.
69. They had a service going on, while hundreds of tourists walked inside to take pictures. Weird.
70. Unfortunately, I did not see Quasi Modo.
71. The Deportation Memorial was moving. Sadly, I did not get to the Holocaust Memorial.
72. I could walk around that city near the river all day.
73. The hot chocolate in Paris is not hot pudding like Italy, but liquid. It's really good, too. Big Surprise.
74. ALWAYS stop and sit in a dog park. ALWAYS. I've never been so happy. (Maybe...)
75. This guy was the awkward 6th grader who has already hit puberty. And the biggest dog I've ever seen.
76. I met a new dog friend who let me scratch his back in the sun for at least 30 minutes.
77. Paris is even more perfect with a blue sky and sun.
78. Don't just walk into a restaurant because you have to use the bathroom and expect to like the menu.
79. Too many of these thoughts have included the use of the word bathroom.
80. It was almost too hard to get on the bus to leave the city.
81. The ride back in the french countryside made it a little easier to leave.
82. Clouds are prettier in France.
83. French really is the most beautiful language in the world.
84. The Beauvais Airport gave me the least stressful security experience I've had. Thank you.
85. We met yet another friendly person from Napoli. Sadly, he advised me not to visit Napoli for an extended period of time. But people are so friendly there!
86. Paris, however, did help me appreciate the intimacy of Florence (a city I once thought was huge).
87. Either way, can I go back?
88. Just because the number 87 is too random I decided to add another.

There we have it... 88 Thoughts About Paris. I'm proud of you if you got through them all. As a reward, I will actually end this post with only a little rambling. It was an amazing weekend that I will alway remember. (It will be hard not to as I took approximately 726 photos... obsessive? A bit.) I really am starting to experience the beauty of studying abroad. Every weekend is a magical experience and I am so lucky and SO happy to be here. So... how cheesy did that sound?

A few Snapshots from Paris... 

Au Revoir! Ciao!

Risotto Bicolore

Serves 6

Spinach/Green:

150 gr Rice

80 gr Spinach

50 gr Grana Cheese 

30 gr Butter

Vegetable Stock

1 Onion

Chop 1/4 onion, wash well with the spinach and slice. Saute both with oil for 3 minutes. Take off half of them and blend with 1 ladle of stock. In the left over spinach and onion, add the rice, saute. Add 1 ladle of stock and once absorbed (sticky texture) add the blended spinach. Add more stock (1 ladle at a time-- each time your risotto looks sticky) until the rice is al dente. (About 15 minutes) Turn flame OFF and stir in cheese and butter. (Use can probably substitue any hard cheese like Parmesan for the Grana cheese!)

Pumpkin/Yellow:

300 gr Pumpkin

150 gr Rice

30 gr Taleggio Cheese

1 Shallot

Vegetable Stock

1 Bay leaf

Chop the shallot and cube (small) the pumpkin. Saute with oil and bay leaf for 5 minutes. Salt. Cover and cook for 10 minutes more to get the pumpkin soft, add stock if needed. (If you are preparing dishes yourself start spinach now) Add the rice and then like the spinach recipe add stock one ladle at a time (when risotto is looking sticky) until al dente. Turn flame off and stir with Taleggio cheese. Place with Spinach risotto. (You can replace the Taleggio cheese with mildly soft ones like Fontina or Gouda).

In the end, this was probably (if not the best) one of the best risotto dishes I have ever had. The spinach one was my favorite but with the bitter taste of the spinach and the sweet of the pumpkin they really tasted great served together!! Our professor showed her presentation skills once again and this was the final product! It was incredibly delicious; my mouth is watering just thinking about it. If I had to choose to make one-- I would probably choose the spinach, but both are worth trying! Also, everything is in grams so converting it to american measurements would probably be helpful to start out with. Enjoy!

And for dessert, because two kinds of risotto just wasn't enough....

Souffle' Di Cioccolato

Serves 6

100 gr Bitter Chocolate

100 gr Gianduiotto (substitute with milk chocolate if needed)

3 eggs

80 gr Sugar

1 tbs Flour

Aluminum Foil Cups

Vanilla Ice Cream

Melt the chocolate in Bagno Marie (double boiler). After, add the butter (that has been cut into smaller pieces and mix until creamy.

In a separarte bowl, beat the eggs with sugar and then add the flour. After, add the melted chocolate into the mixture.

Butter and flour individual aluminum cups, place half of mixture inside. Put a small block of "gianduiotto" (they should be cut into half) and then cover with more chocolate cream.

Cook in the oven for 6 minutes at 370 degrees Fahrenheit.

Serve with ice cream! 

                                     

Just your Average Monday

My day consisted of Sunny weather, homework, reading, and classes. My night: Couscous with curry and sauteed mushrooms and red pepper, my first sketch assignment, music, and nostalgia. All in all a simple Monday with no complaints. Each day, I find myself gradually feeling more aquatinted with Florence and realizing just how much it has to offer. There is ALWAYS something going on. I'm excited for the weather to get a little warmer, so I can get out and really see what this city has to offer. (I've said this before haven't I). It really hits me when I come back from a trip and feel like I'm headed home. This little two bedroom apartment is becoming a place that I'll never forget. I can even say that I look forward to the smell of sewage, a crowded kitchen, a lack of lighting, and frigid temperatures (kinda, sorta) because to me and my 5 other roommates its home. In other news it's midnight here, so Happy Valentines Day to all my loved ones! Who knows, maybe this year I'll make a big heart card out of construction paper and put it in your homemade mailbox. Annnd now I'm sleepy. So buonasera everyone!

Involtini di Tacchino al Prosciutto

(Turkey and Ham Rolls on a Bed of Spinach)

Serves 6

6 Turkey Slices
125 gr Fresh Spinach
6 slices Prosciutto
6 slices Scamorza Cheese
1 clove Garlic
Fresh Cream
1 Zucchini
Oil
Salt
Pepper

Cut the zucchini in julienne shape. (Hot dog style y'all) Flat the turkey slices with a hammer: add salt, pepper, sliced scamorza cheese, and zucchini. Roll the meat slices around ingredients. Then roll the prosciutto slices around the turkey rolls.

Saute the spinach in oil, garlic, and salt. and placed the spinach at the bottom of a baking dish. Place the rolls on top of the spinach, add 50 grams of fresh cream, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees.

Panna Cotta

(Cream Custard)

Serves 4

300ml (1/2 pint) double cream

2 tablespoons sugar (or more for taste)

About 8 drops of vanilla essence

1 teaspoon powdered gelatine

Simmer the cream with the sugar and vanilla for 2-3 minutes. Dissolve the gelatine (do not use more or the cream will be rubbery) in 2 tablespoons cold water and beat well into the cream. Pour into a serving bowl or four small ramekins. As the cream is very rich, small portions are best. Chill for a few hours until set.