Time for another dessert post! It’s been a while.
Some of the best puddings are the most simple and Panna Cotta is about as simple as it gets. Essentially just warm cream, set with gelatine and usually flavoured with vanilla. For the recipe I had a look around the internet and my books for some good examples then cobbled together something I figured would work for the quantity I wanted to make. This is mostly based on the always excellent Felicity Cloake “Perfect Panna Cotta” recipe in the Guardian but I left out the buttermilk (didn’t have any or wanted to try to find any) and used semi-skimmed instead of full-fat milk.
The only hairy moment is serving the panna cotta. The first one I placed into the boiling water for too long and it slid out with a slurp before oozing over the plate a little less cohesively than I had hoped. Thankfully I got it right with the second one and it ended up looking much more photogenic on the plate.
Raspberries are bang in season and I decided not to sweeten the sauce too much. The decision was that the sharp flavour of the raspberries went well with the vanilla and cream of the panna cotta so too much sugar might have compromised that.
Overall this was another successful foray into the world of puddings. The panna cotta was indulgently creamy and smooth with a beautiful vanilla taste. It was great again the next night with chocolate chips sprinkled on top instead of the raspberries. I should really do it more often. I’ll add it to the list of things I should do but never quite get round to, like another video blog…
Serves 4
2 x 2g leaves gelatine
300ml double cream
115g caster sugar
150ml milk
Vanilla extract
For the sauce:
Punnet of raspberries
Caster sugar
Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water for 10 minutes.
Gently heat the cream and sugar in a pan, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove the gelatine and squeeze out most of the water.
Place the gelatine in the warm cream and stir until it’s also dissolved.
Take the pan off the heat.
Stir in two capfuls of vanilla extract and the milk.
Pour the mixture into 4 ramekins and leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
For the sauce, heat the raspberries gently in a pan and add some sugar (about a tablespoon).
Stir the rasps occasionally until the break down and form a sauce.
Taste it and add more sugar if desired.
Pass through a sieve into a jug and set to one side.
To serve the panna cotta place the ramekins in some boiling water for 15-20 second then they should slide out in one piece.
Serve the panna cotta with the sauce and some leftover raspberries.
Mince and Skirlie 