Tuesday 22 June 2010

Vanilla pannacotta with fruit compote

Pannacotta is rich and unctuous. It’s like eating a bowl of delicious ice-cream that is at fridge temperature, not frozen. I like to serve pannacotta with a fruit compote. The acidity of the fruit works well with the cream. Serving a few biscuits alongside the pudding add a crunchy dimension to the dish.


INGREDIENTS
Serves 6
1 vanilla pod
900ml/1 ½ pints double cream
50g/2oz caster sugar
3 gelatine leaves

METHOD
1. Split the vanilla pod in half lengthways, scrape out the seeds and add them to a saucepan with 600ml/1 pint of cream and sugar. Heat the cream on a low heat, stirring until the sigar has completely dissolved. Turn t he heat up slightly and allow the cream to boil. Remove from the heat immedialtely.

2. Place the gelatine in a bowl and cover with cold water. Allow the gelatine to soften. Once the gel;atine is soft, remove it form the water and squeeze out the excess water.

3. Add the gelatine to the heated cream and whisk until it has all dissolved. Leave to cool but do not refrigerate.

4. Whisk the remaining 300ml/10 floz cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream, into the cooled vanilla cream.

5. Pour the cream into greased moulds that hold 150ml/5floz of liquid (dariole moulds work the best). Leave to set in the fridge for at least 4 hours. You can make the pannacotta a day in advance.

TO SERVE
Pour some boiling water into a bowl and dip the moulds into the water for a few seconds, taking care not to allow the water to flow into the pannacotta. Turn the pannacotta out onto a plate (ease them out with a knife to break the suction).

Surround the pannacotta with the fruit compote and add a few fresh berries to the top of the pudding. Serve with biscuits.



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