I had my elderflowers, my gelatin, my pint of whipping cream. I had nothing but time on my hands, ergo I had panna cotta.
My first attempt at homemade panna cotta last week turned out so well that it inspired me to revisit it and make a little more (plus finding those elderflowers really didn’t hurt my chances either). On top of all that, the below average mid-May temperatures ensured I wouldn’t be spending my time planting out the garden over the weekend, so I was on the lookout for other things to do. Panna cotta seemed like an agreeable task.
I chose the same basic formula as I’d used previously, but altered it a little to compensate for an ingredient I ran out of (honey). Once again I stuffed the teaball full of dried plant matter, and when the milk, cream, honey and sugar were warmed and cohesive, I dropped the ball in and let it have a bath. After 20 minutes there was no visible difference save a few dark speckles from the dried elderflowers, but once I dipped a spoon in for a taste test, I saw how hasty a judgement that had been. The flavors were at once tart, then sweet and floral, with an endnote I couldn’t quite put my finger on. If tastes could be a color, this one would be the lightest shade of lilac purple.
After blooming a few sheets of gelatin, I stirred them into the slightly cooled cream mixture and portioned the cream into a few stainless steel ramekins to set.
I’m envisioning it served with a side of bruleed pineapple and a sprinkling of cocoa nibs, like so. Lovely!
Foodie’s Elderflower Panna Cotta
1.5 c. whipping cream
0.5 c. milk
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp dried elderflowers
0.5 tbsp brown sugar
2 sheets gelatin
Pack a tea ball with dried elderflower blossoms and submerge in a saucepan containing a mixture of milk, cream, honey and sugar. Allow to come to the barest simmer, stirring occasionally and let steep for 20 minutes. Bloom the gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, then remove from the bowl and squeeze out excess water. Bring cream to a near boil and remove from heat. Stir in the softened gelatin sheets until completely melted, then pour the flavored cream into ramekins. Let come to room temperature before refrigerating for 6 hours or until completely set.
Makes 4 ramekins.
Until next time…
Tags: Baking, dessert, elderflowers, New Projects, panna cotta, pudding, Recipes
