I’ve probably mentioned this before – baking/ baked goods and desserts of all kinds get short shrift at our house. If given a choice between making something savory or something sweet, I almost always will choose the savory appetizer, entree, vegetable side dish, etc.
But of late I’ve been trying my hand at after-dinner treats more – DD’s sweet tooth demands it. So – to avoid the late night forays to Holy Gelato in our pyjamas, I’ve been making panna cotta. I didn’t realize how easy it could be until I tried making my first batch, using David Lebovitz’s recipe for a vanilla version here.
Basically one infuses a mixture of cream, milk and/or buttermilk with flavour – usually a sweetening agent like sugar or honey, and then the aromatic of choice. Usually it’s vanilla; I’ve tried keffir lime leaves, and most recently – lavender. Blooming the gelatin is another key step – again, I’ve taken David Lebovitz’s handy tips on gelatin here… basically you should sprinkle powdered gelatin into a few tablespoonfuls of cold water and leave it to sit for a few minutes. Then, stir in the warm milk mixture with the bloomed gelatin, ladle the mixture into the serving vessels of your choice, and you should have a tasty sweet treat a couple of hours afterwards.
For the lavender panna cotta I used The Kitchn’s beautifully simple and elegant recipe, with some slight tweaks (see my notes in italics below):
Honey Lavender Panna Cotta
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 cup half and half or cream
- 1/4 cup wildflower honey
- 1 teaspoon dried lavender
- 1 cup milk
- Strawberries or other berries, to serve
Procedure
1) In a small bowl sprinkle the gelatin over the 2 tablespoons of water and let soften for at least 5 minutes. Make sure that you sprinkle lightly, gradually, making sure not to dump the entire contents of the measuring spoon into the water.
2) Lightly oil 4 5-ounce ramekins with baking spray or flavorless oil. Set aside. [Note: I prefer to serve my panna cotta in their cups, unmolded, so I skip this step.]
3) In a small saucepan heat the cream, honey, and dried lavender over low heat and bring mixture to a light simmer, avoiding boiling. Whisk to incorporate all the honey evenly, then turn off the heat. [Note: I tasted the mixture after it came to a simmer and decided that it needed a stronger lavender flavour. I let the mixture steep for about 5 minutes and tasted again. At this point it will taste fairly lavendery and sweet – before you lament about its tasting too sweet, remember that we’re still adding a cupful of milk to the mixture before leaving it to set.]
4) Gently bring the mixture to a slight simmer again.
5) Strain out the lavender buds into a mixing bowl. Whisk in the bloomed gelatin.
6) Whisk for at least a minute to make sure it is very evenly distributed and that no lumps remain. Whisk in the milk.
7) Pour into the ramekins, and put in the fridge to set. The panna cotta will need at least 2 hours to set; we prefer to wait at least 4, especially if the puddings will be unmolded.
8) To unmold lightly run a knife around the edge of the chilled pudding and invert onto a chilled plate. Garnish with sliced strawberries/ berries of your choice and serve. [Note: I made a syrup by boiling some blueberry shrub DD made some time ago (based on a recipe from one of our favourite mixologists, Neyah White of Nopa restaurant). A shrub is a tart-sweet syrup made of fruit and sugar and spices and vinegar. Usually shrubs are intended to flavour cocktails, but we’ve found other uses for them as well. I also added some D’Arbo Blackberry Fruit Conserve to the shrub – whisk to melt the lumpy bits and strain if necessary.]
Variations
- Take a look at these beautiful layered panna cottas made by Tina at The Wandering Eater.
- The Wholesome Cook’s recipe for keffir lime panna cotta is also fantastic and easy to make. We have a keffir lime tree in our front yard and thus are lucky to have a year-round supply of the fragrant leaves.
- Next to try on the list: Matcha green tea Panna Cotta made with buttermilk!