I used to be suspicious of panna cotta. After one too many gelatinous disasters, I’d written it off as the hallmark of a dodgy restaurant; a pale blob that appeared on dessert menus out of obligation rather than a real love of pudding. When done right, though, panna cotta is a joy. Easy to make in advance, the silky-smooth, delicately-flavoured cream melts in your mouth and is an elegant and simple way to end a meal.
Panna cotta with poached dried fruits
Orange blossom water comes in two forms: the traditional water-based sort, which you’ll find in Middle Eastern shops, and the newer, alcohol-based varieties available in some supermarkets. I’ve used the former for this recipe; if using the the alcohol-based kind, be aware that it is much stronger, so you’ll need less than the tablespoon here.
Prep 15 min
Cook 15 min
Makes 6
3 sheets leaf gelatine
400g double cream
200g sour cream
70g granulated or caster sugar
1 tbsp orange blossom water
Unsalted butter, to grease the ramekins
For the fruit
100g dried apricots
100g dried figs
200g apple juice
200g marsala
2 sticks cinnamon
4 green cardamom pods
150g granulated or caster sugar
Start by soaking the sheets of gelatine in cold water.
In a saucepan, gently warm the creams over a low-medium heat, then add the sugar and stir until it has dissolved.
Shake off the water from the gelatine sheets and stir them into the cream – again, until dissolved – then add the orange blossom water.
Lightly grease the ramekins by rubbing a little butter along their inner edge, then pour in the cream. Put in the fridge to set for two to three hours.
Meanwhile, make the poached fruit: chop up the dried fruits into decent-sized chunks. Place in a saucepan with the apple juice, marsala, sugar and spices. Bring the pan to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, by which point the fruit will have plumped up and the liquid thickened to a syrup. Remove the whole spices.
To serve, turn out the panna cotta and spoon over a little of the poached fruit and syrup.
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion