Pannacotta
Translated, this recipe name means cooked cream – see what you think. It originally came from Danny’s mother Beppina, she has it in her head – presumably it came to her from her mother and so on.
Ingredients:
- 500ml of double cream
- 500ml of plain ordinary milk
- 9 tablespoons of sugar
- 1.5 bags of ‘tortagel’
- Topping ingredients as described below
Method:
Pour all of the cream and most of the milk into a pan and begin to gently heat over a lowish flame.
Using the few tablespoons of milk reserved, in a small boil, mix in the tortagel and sugar, making sure that there are no lumps.
Add this mixture to the gently heating milk / cream mix and continue stirring.
Watch carefully, and just on the point of boiling, remove from the heat.
Pour it into some sort of appropriate mould, cool and then chill to set.
Just prior to serving, take a deep breath and ‘un-mould’ – I tend to hasten the delivery by briefly warming in hot water.
Once un-moulded, refrigerate until needed.
Topping:
A good topping is great to conceal the ‘cock-ups’ you make while un-moulding.
I would select from the following:
- Strawberries with a balsamic vinegar and black pepper ‘splashover’.
- Mixed berries
- Some sort of toffee sauce (I have a very good one for those of you who need it) and so on – let me know your ideas.
Notes:
- Do not do as I do and put it in the freezer to hasten the ‘set’ and then forget it and have your guests breaking their teeth on the desert.
- This will freeze – I think – I am never quite sure – cannot make up my mind – let me know.
- Often good to halve the measures to make a smaller desert. The one detailed above would be sufficient for 6 to 8 people.
- Tortagel is I think arrowroot – I can buy tortagel, you experiment and let me know.