READY IN: 20 MINUTES PLUS 4 HOURS CHILLING
SERVES: 6
Ingredients
Lime Panna Cotta
- non-stick cooking spray to grease moulds
- 500ml cream
- 200ml milk
- ¾ cup caster sugar
- 1 tsp finely grated lime zest
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 tsp powdered gelatine
Rum Syrup
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ⅛ cup brown sugar
- 1–2 tbsp dark rum (optional)
METHOD
Panna cotta is a bit of a posh pud that’s secretly cheap and easy to make. You can set it in pretty glasses, or use moulds and turn them out to serve. I’ve made so many versions in recent years, but this is a good basic one to kick you off.
- Grease six pudding cups approx. 120ml capacity, or glasses or tea cups, with non-stick cooking spray.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a large jug. Discard the lime zest. Stir gently, then pour the mixture into the prepared dishes. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Make the syrup. Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Set aside to cool before using.
- Either serve in the dishes or turn out: run a small knife around the edge of the moulds. Dip the base of each mould very briefly in hot water. Invert over a dessert plate and give a single good hard shake. The panna cotta should plop onto the plate. Add a spoonful of cooled syrup when serving, if desired.
Tips
Make sure that the gelatine is fully dissolved to ensure a silky, even set.
Mix and match flavours — try vanilla, lemon, gin, chai, coffee . . . infusing the liquid with your chosen flavour. Once you have mastered the basic technique, you can play around. For example, switching some of the cream for yoghurt creates a fresher, more tangy result.
Once set, panna cotta are quite stable, so can be transported if you are taking a dessert to someone else’s place.
If drizzling with a sauce, a cold one is better, as warm sauce will melt the delicate custard.
Extract from Destitute Gourmet by Sophie Gray. Available in good bookstores now.
Photography by Todd Eyre. Published by Random House NZ RRP $35
