WHITE CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA WITH ROASTED BALSAMIC CHERRIES

A good panna cotta should be in everyone’s repertoire. It’s such a hands off pudding to make and the hardest part is waiting for it to chill long enough in the fridge. You’ve got a couple of options here on how to serve. If you’ve got moulds you can turn the panna cotta out onto a plate to see that signature wobble. Or you can also just pour the mixture into ramekins, coupes or any small vessel you’ve got in the kitchen.

RECIPE

serves 6

400ml whole milk

350ml double cream

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

65g caster sugar

¼ tsp fine sea salt

4 leaves gelatine (I use Dr Oetker platinum grade leaves)

100g white chocolate, finely chopped

For the cherries:

150g cherries, pitted

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

METHOD

Add the gelatine leaves to a small bowl filled with cold water and set aside.

Add the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla and salt to a saucepan and heat gently until it’s hot and steamy, just before it comes to the boil.

Add the chopped chocolate to a bowl. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate and let it sit for 30 seconds before mixing well until fully melted.

Remove the softened gelatine out of the water and squeeze out any excess water. Add the gelatine to the milk mixture and mix well until completely dissolved.

Pour the mixture into a jug before decanting it into ramekins or moulds.

Let it cool to room temperature before chilling in the fridge for 4-6 hours or overnight.

To make the cherries, preheat the oven to 170C fan.

Add the cherries to a small baking dish, toss with the sugar, balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of water and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cherries are softened and syrupy. Let them cool completely before using.

If using moulds, dip them briefly in hot water and flip upside down to release the panna cottas. Serve with some of the roasted cherries.