Rum panna cotta

Panna cotta originates in Italy and, in Italian means “cooked cream.”  It is set using gelatine - unlike crème brulée which is set using egg yolk.

Preparation Time: 10 Mins

Cooking Time: 10 Mins

Total Time: 2½ Hrs

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

To soften the gelatine

                     Milk  - cold 

For the caramel

60 ml              Water       

120 gms          Sugar  - caster        

For the panna cotta

300 ml             Cream  - double      

75 ml              Milk         

60 gms            Sugar  - caster        

7 gms             Gelatine  - leaf        

1 tbs               Rum  - dark

To serve

1                    Clementine  - flesh   

1 tsp               Sugar  - caster        

1 tsp               Rum  - dark

Method

Soften the gelatine in a little cold milk.

Warm four ramekins in an oven at 120°C to ensure the caramel doesn’t seize when it is poured in.

To make the caramel…

Put the water and sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over a medium heat.  The sugar will melt into the water and the syrup will caramelise.  Boil until a nice golden brown - about five minutes.  Pour even amounts into each of the warmed ramekins.  Set aside.

To make the panna cotta…

In a saucepan, heat the cream and milk until they are just about to boil.  Stir in the sugar until dissolved and remove from the heat.

Put the softened gelatine leaves in a small bowl, discarding the milk they were softened in, and pour over a little of the hot cream mixture.  Stir until the gelatine has dissolved and then pour back into the milk saucepan.

Add the rum to the mixture.

Fill the ramekins with the mixture and put into a fridge to set for at least two hours.

The panna cotta can be served in the ramekins with the clementine segments (see below) on top or turned out with the clementine segments alongside.

To turn out the panna cotta…

When ready to serve, pour some boiling water into a bowl, run a small knife around the inside edge of each ramekin to loosen the panna cotta and dip them into the hot water for about five seconds.

Turn the ramekins out on to a small plate and serve.

To prepare the clementine segments…

Mix the clementine segments with sugar and a drizzle of rum.

Wine recommendations

A sweet white wine.

Conventional

     Coteau du Layon

Interesting

     Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise

     Pineau des Charentes blanc

Special

     Bonnezeau