Tag: pannacotta

Recipe: Vanilla Pannacotta with Fried Apples and Oat Crumble Topping

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If you’ve read the blog for a while you know that pannacotta is one of my go-to puddings. Partly because it’s delicious (duh!) but mainly because it’s so easy to make in advance. You just take it out of the fridge, add toppings if any and off you go.

Many people seem a little scared of making it at home, but with good quality gelatine leaves (I like Dr Oetker’s) it really is super simple and doesn’t take long to make. But it does require some planning as it needs quite a few hours to set in the fridge. At least six (as it needs to cool down first) but I usually make it the day before or the morning of, for a dinner the same day.

This particular pannacotta recipe is an ode to autumn and apples and almost like a deconstructed crumble with a creamy element.

The apples are soft and sweet but with a little acidity and the crumble topping adds crunch and texture. I really enjoyed this and after a few attempts I got it just right.

Vanilla pannacotta with fried apples and oat crumble topping, serves 4

Pannacotta:

500 ml single cream

1 vanilla pod

50 ml caster sugar

2 gelatin leaves

Apples:

2 apples (local ones are best), washed, cored and diced

1 tbsp salted butter

1 tbsp golden syrup

1/4 lemon, the juice

tiny pinch of salt

Oat crumble:

150 ml jumbo oats

1 tbsp salted butter

1 tbsp caster sugar

Make the pannacotta well in advance: Cover the gelatin leaves with cold water in a bowl. Make a cut lengthways in the vanilla pod and add to a saucepan. Add sugar and cream. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for a few minutes while stirring. Remove from heat. Squeeze the excess water out of the gelatin and add to the pan. Stir to dissolve. Divide between four small bowls or glasses, pouring through a sieve . Leave to cool then let them set in the fridge for at least 6 hours. 

Remove the pannacottas from the fridge as you prepare the toppings (or make the toppings before dinner and heat up in time for serving, in which case keep the pannacottas refrigerated). In one non-stick frying pan, add 1 tbsp butter on medium heat. Add the apples and allow them to soften. Add the golden syrup when the apples are soft and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and a little salt. Set aside, covered.

In another non-stick saucepan, add 1 tbsp butter on medium heat. Add the oats and toast the oat flakes until golden brown while stirring. Add the sugar and stir to combine.

Divide the apples between the pannacottas and top with the sugary oats.

Recipe: blood orange pannacotta

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Blood orange season is still going strong and of course I had to incorporate the little gems into a fragrant pannacotta, using both the zest and juice. Topped with blood orange segments this is a real stunner!

Blood orange pannacotta, serves 2

250 ml double cream

25 ml demerera sugar

the zest from 2 blood oranges

the juice from 1 blood orange

1 + 1/4 gelatin leaves

To serve:

orange segments from the left over blood orange

Pour the cream and sugar into a nonstick pan and put on medium heat. Add the zest and orange juice to the cream and heat it up until almost boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk. 

Meanwhile soak the gelatin in cold water.  

Take the cream mixture off the heat. Squeeze the water out of the gelatin and add it to the warm cream. Whisk to make sure it has dissolved then pour the mixture through a fine sieve, to remove the zest and any lumps, and into a jug. Leave to cool for a few minutes then divide the mixture between the pots or glasses you will use for serving. Leave to cool. Then transfer to the fridge and leave them to set for 3 hours. 

Before serving, cut the remaining peel off the left over blood orange and cut into segments. 

All the food; both home cooking and eating out!

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Last week was rather full on, but in the best possible way! Monday I mainly prepped for the day after when I had my friends Gaby and Ro over for dinner after work. For once I wasn’t rushed and it was such a nice feeling. We started with nibbles; obviously Jamon Iberico and saucisson from Spain, nice olives and my homemade dill hummus with pitta chips.

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Then I served trout fillets with dilly new potatoes and a lovely sauce for fish and finished the dinner off with dulce de leche pannacotta. Gaby also brought a selection of canelés from Babelle that were amazing!

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My childhood friend Therése arrived from Sweden on Thursday evening and we had dinner together at mine while chatting away. I made a selection of tapas including the Jamon Iberico and saucisson, Nocellara olives (our favourite!), Manchego and Ossau Iraty cheese, padron peppers, calamari and my asparagus with wild garlic mayonnaise.

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On Friday we met after work and had a speedy but delicious dinner at Barrafina Drury Lane before going to the theatre around the corner to see 42nd Street.

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Saturday was lovely and sunny, so we put our sunglasses on and went shopping in Chelsea where we also had lunch. A pit stop at home to change and we were off to dinner. We had amazing sushi that I will tell you all about later and finished the evening with champagne at Kettner’s Townhouse.

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Therése’s last full day here we went back to an old favourite for lunch; La Fromagerie in Marylebone. The food, the cheese and the ambience is just a winning combination.

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In the evening I made us a nice chicken salad and we had ice cream and chocolate chip cookies for pudding. It was such a lovely weekend and I’m so grateful my friends make the effort to visit me while living abroad! ❤

 

 

Lemon posset

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So I finally got around to trying lemon posset – this – in my mind typically British pudding.

Tt is basically a pannacotta without gelatin; instead the acid in the lemon juice helps the fat in the cream to solidify so the mixture sets. The texture is even better than that of pannacotta and the sharpness from the lemon makes the dessert feel lighter than it actually is.

I served mine with blueberries for added freshness but Tom Kerridge’s fennel biscotti seems like a divine pairing. After watching his BBC series on proper pub food I completely trusted his recipe to be perfect – and it was.

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Lemon posset, serves 6

After Tom Kerridge’s recipe.

425ml double cream

125g sugar

2 lemons, juice only

Bring the cream and sugar to the boil in a pan. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Pass through a fine sieve and set aside to cool for five minutes.

Skim off any air bubbles from the surface and pour into six serving glasses. Transfer to the fridge for at least two hours, or until set.

Vanilla pannacotta with rhubarb

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As much as I love this time of year when you suddenly have an abundance of fresh spring produce, I get a bit stressed by it too because they all come at the same time. For me, choosing between rhubarb and strawberries or asparagus and broad beans, would be a bit like choosing between your children. I love them all and want to cook as much with them all without forsaking the others. Sadly, that’s impossible.

But when I have time to cook I try and make the most of it, and last Saturday I invited my friend Maria over for a supper consisting of wild garlic soup (I’m obsessed with wild garlic, I admit it), squid and chorizo with beans and spinach followed by this pannacotta with rhubarb.

In Sweden we call the rhubarb prepared this way for melted rhubarb, which indeed it is. The rhubarb releases juice because of the heat which mixes with the sugar and creates the most wonderful rhubarb syrup full of soft rhubarb bits. It is wonderful served warm on vanilla icecream or with just some cold pouring cream, but I must say it was wonderful in this pannacotta too.

Make sure you don’t use an aluminium pan as the oxalic acid in the rhubarb will free the aluminium and you will end up with rhubarb with aluminium which is poisonous.

Vanilla pannacotta, serves 4

500 ml single cream

1 vanilla pod

50 ml caster sugar

2 gelatin leaves

Cover the gelatin leaves with cold water in a bowl. Make a cut lengthways in the vanilla pod (too free the seeds) and add to a saucepan. Add sugar and cream. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for a few minutes while stirring. Remove from heat. Squeeze the excess water out of the gelatin and add to the pan. Stir to dissolve. Divide between four small bowls or glasses. Leave to cool then let them set in the fridge for at least 3 hours. 

Melted rhubarb (or rhubarb compote)

300 g rhubarb, washed and trimmed

80-120 g caster sugar

1/4 lemon, the juice

Slice the rhubarb coarsely and place in an ovenproof dish (not aluminium, see above). Scatter the sugar on top (start with the smaller amount if you like) and place in 180C oven. Stir after 10 minutes and taste. Add more sugar if needed. Leave in the over for 30-40 minutes more until the syrup has thickened. Add the lemon juice and stir. Leave to cool.  

Top the pannacottas with a few spoonfuls of the melted rhubarb and serve. 

Sumac pannacotta with lemon jelly

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When I discovered the sumac lemonade on the wonderful blog Taste of Beirut I suddenly realised all the possibilities of sweet dishes with sumac, something that had never thought of before. I have always used it as a spice for savoury food and especially salads, but of course the citrus-y flavour works just as well in puddings!

And I am quite proud of my first attempt: sumac pannacotta with lemon jelly! If you wish you can remove the sumac before you pour it into the cups, but I think it looks quite nice with it in. (I like to see what I eat.)

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Sumac pannacotta with lemon jelly, serves 4

Pannacotta:

200 ml single cream

300 ml double cream

4 1/2 tbsp caster sugar

zest from 1 small lemon or 3/4 of a large 

1 tbsp sumac

2 leaf gelatin 

Jelly:

50 ml water

50 ml lemon juice

50 ml icing sugar

zest from 1/2 lemon

1-2 drops yellow food colouring 

2 leaf gelatin

Soak the leaf gelatin in cold water. Combine cream, sugar, lemon zest and sumac in a saucepan. Bring to simmer and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Squeeze the excess water from the gelatin and add it to the mixture. Stir. Remove from heat and leave to cool for about 20 minutes. Divide between four glasses and leave to cool completely. Place in fridge to set, for at least three hours before adding the jelly.  

Soak the leaf gelatin in cold water. Mix water, sugar, lemon juice and zest in a saucepan. Bring to the boil so the sugar dissolves. Add the food colouring. Sqeeze the excess water from the gelatin and add to the mixture. Leave to cool for about 20 minutes. Then divide evenly between the pannacottas. Place in fridge and leave to set for at least two hours. 

Milk chocolate pannacotta with salt

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The combination of sweet and salty has been a favourite of mine since I was a child and had milk chocolate and salty popcorn together. Recently this combination is everywhere, and especially salted caramel is a bit trendy, and has been for a while.

These babies, mini pannacotta with milk chocolate and salt, are just heaven and I made these in plastic shot glasses for work last week. It is a small sample portion, perfect for a buffet or when having lots of goodies at once.

You can make pannacotta i several ways, but I prefer to make it with gelatin. And preferably the gelatin leaves, although the powder is fine too. It is good to know that 1 leaf gelatin is the equivalent to 1/2 tsp gelatin powder.

For a vegetarian option, use agar agar (or veggie set) and follow the instructions on the packet.

Milk chocolate pannacotta, about 40 mini ones in plastic shot glasses

1050 ml cream

4.5 tbsp caster sugar

4 gelatin leaves 

210 g milk chocolate 

vanilla salt or regular sea salt to decorate

Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water. Chop the chocolate and place in a mixing bowl. Heat upp the cream and sugar in a nonstick saucepan while stirring. Bring it to the boil and then remove from heat. Squeeze the water out of the gelatin leaves and add them to the cream. Stir to dissolve. Pour the cream over the chocolate, stir until the chocolate has melted and it is all combined. Leave to cool for 10 minutes or so, then divide into the cups. Leave to cool completely then let it set in fridge over night. Sprinkle on the salt just before serving.

 

Muscovado pannacotta with whisky

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Last Thursday I found myself in the supermarket buying ingredients for a dessert to bring to my friends for supper the following in day. I wanted to make a nice almond cake with custard, but I just didn’t have the energy. Instead I settled for the one pudding I can probably make blindfolded and asleep – pannacotta.

To make it more interesting I opted for light muscovado sugar instead of caster and a little hint of whisky. Served with fresh raspberries this was a winner with the girls.

I like when you get rewarded for being lazy…

Muscovado pannacotta with whisky, serves 3

300 ml cream (single or double is up to you)

2,5 tbsp light muscovado sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cap whisky

1 gelatine leaf

Soak the gelatine leaf in water. Add cream, sugar and vanilla to a saucepan and heat up while stirring. Bring to the boul, then remove from heat. Add the whisky. Squeeze the excess liquid out of the gelatine and let it dissolve in the hot cream. Leave to cool a little for about 15 minutes, then pour into cups/glasses. Leave to cool completely, then let it set in the fridge, preferably over night or for a minimum of four hours. Serve with fresh raspberries. 

Dark chocolate pannacotta

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These little pots are the perfect ending to a casual dinner party. They taste fantastic but seem (and are) effortless. You make them ahead of time, and just reach into the fridge to serve pudding.

But they still impress. The chocolate flavour is rich the texture thick and creamy so you don’t need many spoonfuls to satisfy a serious chocolate craving. With the addition of salt, I think chocolate becomes even more flavoursome and delicious – so do try this.

Dark chocolate pannacotta, serves 4 (small portions)

350 ml double cream

2 tbsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp gelatin powder

70 g dark chocolate

Heat up cream, sugar and gelatin in a saucepan. In the meantime, chop the chocolate. Remove the cream mixture from the heat as soon at it has started to bubble. Add the chocolate to the mixture and stir to dissolve. Let the mixture cool a little before pouring into little cups. Leave to cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Sprinkle on some sea salt or vanilla salt before serving. 

Lavender pannacotta with almond brittle

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When I had Jess and Laura around for dinner a while ago I had prepared this dessert the dat before because once again I made pannacotta.

I love this little concotion and will probably not stop making it until I have tried every flavour I can possibly think of – and maybe not even then.

This time I flavoured the pannacotta with lavender, and because of this particular flavour I used less sugar than usual. Instead I added sweet almond brittle to serve with it and it turned out really well. It was nice with the contrasting textures as well with the crunchy sugary nuts and velvety cream together.

I was in a hurry when preparing this and therefore I used quite a lot of lavender to flavour the cream quickly. If you have more time on your hands you can use less lavender with the cream and instead leave the mixture in the fridge for a few hours before making the pannacotta.

Lavender pannacotta, serves 3

400 ml cream

25-30 ml caster sugar

2 tbsp lavender

2 gelatine leaves

Place the gelatine leaves in a bowl and cover with cold water. Pour the cream, sugar and lavender into a saucepan and bring to the boil whilw stirring. Remove from heat. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine and add it to the mixture – stir to combine. Pour the mixture through a sieve to catch the lavender and let the creamy mixture cool for 15 minutes or so. Then pour into dessert bowls, ramekins or what you prefer. Leave to cool, then place in fridge overnight to set.

Almond brittle

1 tbsp salted butter

2 tbsp caster sugar

1.5 tbsp cream

two handfuls almonds

Place all ingredients bar the almonds in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the almonds and let the mixture become a golden colour, while stirring. Pour onto a baking sheet and leave to cool completely. Chop and place on top of the pannacottas before serving.