This version of panna cotta uses lemon verbena from the garden and whatever fruit is perfectly ripe. Try it with blackberries or blueberries for variety.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 4 (6-inch-long) lemon verbena sprigs
- 1/3 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 lemon verbena sprigs
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups seasonal fruit, sliced if necessary
- Wood sorrel leaves for garnish
About this recipe
There’s a little trick that I use in all my panna cotta recipes. I reserve some of the cream and whip it before folding it into the rest of the cream mixture. This leaves you with a texture that it surprisingly light and always raises eyebrows. This version of panna cotta uses lemon verbena from the garden and whatever fruit is perfectly ripe. Try it with whole blackberries or blueberries, or sliced peaches.
Instructions
Heat 1 cups of the cream in a small saucepan over low heat with the verbena, sugar and salt until it simmers. Remove from the heat and cover. Let steep 10 minutes. While the cream steeps, sprinkle the gelatin over the water, in a small cup or bowl, to soften. Remove the verbena from the cream, then whisk in the gelatin mixture until dissolved. Whisk in the sour cream and chill the cream mixture until it has the consistency of egg whites.
Whip the remaining cup heavy cream until it just holds soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled cream mixture, then divide between oiled ½ cup ramekins. Chill until the panna cotta is set, about 3 hours. Remove the panna cottas from their molds if desired.
For the fruit: Bring the water, sugar, verbena and a pinch of salt to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, then discard the verbena. Pour the hot syrup over the fruit. Serve the panna cottas with the fruitverbena syrup drizzled over it. Garnish with the wood sorrel.
Serves 6
Courtesy The Farm Cooking School
