Featured: Red Wine Panna Cotta © Valentina Solfrini |
Above: Amber Guinness © Valentina Solfrini
“You’ll find panna cotta on most trattoria dessert menus, firstly as it’s delicious and secondly because it is supremely easy to make in large batches ahead of time. It’s just a matter of heating the ingredients, then chilling them in individual ramekins to be turned out as needed. I love a plain vanilla panna cotta, but infused with red wine and honey and served with pears – classic ingredients that usually accompany cheese during a Tuscan aperitivo – it’s even better. Adding a wine syrup to the panna cotta lends a mellow wine-y note and a pretty pale violet hue. Our friend Jessica’s method of grilling the pears is both beautiful and delicious, with a wobbly, smooth panna cotta,” says Amber.
Serves 4
For the Panna Cotta
Ingredients
- 60g (2 oz) flaked almonds
- 1.5 (3g or 1/10 oz) gelatine leaves
- 150ml (5 fl oz) red wine
- 2 tablespoons runny honey
- 250ml (8.5 fl oz) double cream
- 150ml (5 fl oz) full-fat milk
- 30g (1 oz) icing sugar
- 1 vanilla pod
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan-forced. Spread the flaked almonds on a baking tray and roast for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Using scissors, cut the gelatine leaves into a small bowl and cover with cold water, making sure they are fully submerged. Leave to soak for 5 minutes.
- Pour the wine into a small saucepan and stir in the honey. Leave to bubble over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, so that the wine reduces by about two-thirds to a thick sauce. Pour the syrup into a small glass to cool down for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, add the cream, milk and icing sugar to the pan.
- Split the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds with a knife, adding them straight into the pan with the vanilla pod. Stir together and leave over a medium heat for a minute or so.
- Stir in the wine syrup and leave until the mixture is just on the point of boiling – as soon as you see any bubbles, take the pan off the heat.
- Remove the gelatine leaves from the water and squeeze out any excess liquid. Stir the gelatine into the hot cream mixture until completely dissolved.
- Pour your panna cotta mixture into four individual ramekins, moulds or low-rimmed glasses. Leave to cool completely out of the fridge (this prevents the gelatine and cream splitting).
- Once cooled, leave in the fridge to set for at least 6 hours.
For the Grilled Pears
Ingredients
- 6 thick-skinned lemons
- 1.75L water
- 35g salt
- 1kg sugar
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 vanilla pod
- 3 star anise
Method
- Preheat the oven grill to 200°C (400°F) fan-forced.
- Using a sharp knife, remove the stems from the pears, then cut the pears lengthwise into five or six slices about 1–2 cm (1/2–3/4 inch) thick. (Don’t worry if they vary in size a little or end up uneven.)
- Find a roasting tin or two large enough to hold all the pear slices in one layer and line with baking parchment. Pour in the wine and spread the pears out in a single layer.
- Evenly sprinkle each pear slice with the sugar, then drizzle with the honey. Roast on the highest shelf in the oven under the grill for 30 minutes, until the tops are browned and some of the sugar is bubbling and caramelised.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool until you’re ready to serve. (To make this dessert very speedy to pull together, the pears can be roasted a day ahead.)
To Serve
Gently run a small knife around the inside rim of the panna cotta moulds (or pierce the base if using foil ramekins). Place your serving plate securely over the panna cotta and invert. Leave for another few seconds before removing the mould, and you should be left with a perfectly wobbly panna cotta. Sprinkle with some almonds. Arrange a few slices of grilled pear on each plate and serve immediately, with a fork and a spoon.
Variations
To make a plain vanilla panna cotta with just the right amount of wobble, skip the first step of making the wine syrup. Add the honey straight into the cream and proceed as described above. Panna cotta is also delicious with poached quince.
“Winter in Tuscany”, Amber Guinness’s new cookbook which features the Red Wine Panna Cotta recipe © Valentina Solfrini
“Winter in Tuscany” by Amber Guinness is published by Thames & Hudson and is availble for a RRP of £29.99