OK, this makes three - three! - dessert recipes with lavender that we've posted in the last month or two. Lavender is just such a wonderful ingredient for spring and summer desserts; used with a light hand the herbal notes elevate fruit, cream, and honey into a whole new space.
Even with the extra step of steeping lavender though, this light, eggless pudding may be the easiest dessert we know. So little work - so much benefit!
Panna cotta is a light creamy pudding that is made with gelatin (or agar agar, if you are vegetarian). It has no eggs, and just a touch of thickening and sweetener. It's incredibly delicate and cool. It's also very elegant. You can serve it from big bowls, or let it set in individual ramekins, or turn out the little cups into standalone molded puddings.
And again, we can't say it enough - when we have company in the summer, this is our go-to dessert. It takes ten minutes (or less) to make. It sits in the fridge and emerges, cool and beautiful, when dinner is finished. No muss and no fuss. Panna cotta - we love you!
Honey Lavender Panna Cotta
serves 4
1/2 0.25-ounce package of powdered gelatin, about 1 1/2 teaspoons
2 tablespoons cold water
1 cup half and half or cream
1/4 cup wildflower honey
1 teaspoon dried lavender
1 cup milk
Strawberries or other berries, to serve
In a small bowl sprinkle the gelatin over the 2 tablespoons of water and let soften for at least 5 minutes. Lightly oil 4 5-ounce ramekins with baking spray or flavorless oil. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan heat the cream, honey, and dried lavender to a light simmer then turn off the heat. Whisk to incorporate all the honey evenly, then strain into a mixing bowl. Whisk in the gelatin. Whisk for at least a minute to make sure it is very evenly distributed and that no lumps remain. Whisk in the milk.
Pour into the ramekins, and put in the fridge to set. The panna cotta will need at least 2 hours to set; we prefer to wait at least 4, especially if the puddings will be unmolded.
To unmold lightly run a knife around the edge of the chilled pudding and invert onto a chilled plate. Garnish with sliced strawberries and serve.
(Image: Faith Hopler)
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How could I adapt this to use sheet gelatin?
Amymamy, 4 sheets of gelatin equal about one package (also 1 Tablespoon). So it sounds like you should use 2 sheets of gelatin in this recipe!
thank you for this -- panna cotta is something i order when i go out to fancy restaurants, and i had no idea it was so easy to make!
Could this be made without gelatin (a non-vegetarian ingredient)?
Agar-agar powder can go in for gelatin powder one-to-one, though I usually measure it a bit on the scant side because I find it to gel more firmly.
Thanks Katie! Didn't know it was one-for-one. Will it affect the taste?
Please keep the lavender recipes coming! I bought a bottle of lavender flowers to make the blueberry pie that was posted a few weeks ago. It was so good I want to use lavender in everything!
Gelatine note:
I used Knox Unflavoured Gelatine and followed each step of the recipe on my first attempt. After an hour I realized that the panna cotta was not setting up and made a new batch. The second time put 1/4 cup water in a bowl and sprinkled the gelatine over it. Then I added 1/4 cup boiling water to dissolve the gelatine. I then continued to follow the recipe as directed. The gelatine mixture set up perfect. I really liked this recipe!
Can you use fresh lavender in this recipe?
Just made it today for Easter lunch dessert and it was so delicious - never made pana cotta before but now I will make it more often. And just will have to learn how to get it out of a ramekin :D thank you for the recipe!
I just made this, sort of, by using the lavender but following the formula for panna cotta here - http://thelunacafe.com/mastering-panna-cotta-with-six-variations/
I found that the extra steps of letting the warmed cream (steeped with lavender) cool to room temp for an hour, then adding the rest of the cold cream and milk and finally putting it all through a sieve was WELL worth the time and trouble. I was skeptical at first, since it looked like I was sieving out a lot of the gelatin, but it set like a dream and for the first time I avoided that layer of separated gelatin at the bottom of the finished panna cotta.
Now all I need is to decide how to use up the rest of the lavender I bought. Thanks for all the ideas!