This recipe for lavender panna cotta is from my colleague and friend Chef Mary Cleaver, who is at the forefront of the movement toward improving our food supply as a nation. She has taught me to strive to include as many organic, local, and seasonal ingredients as possible in my own cooking, and so I wanted to share one of her sweet recipes with you for a lovely summer dessert.–Karen Bussen
Mary's Lavender Panna Cotta Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/3 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- Two 1/2-ounce packets powdered gelatin
- Honey, for garnish
Directions
- 1. To make the panna cotta, combine the cream, 1 cup of the milk, and the lavender in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Strain out the lavender.
- 2. While the cream mixture is cooling slightly, pour the remaining 1/3 cup cold milk into a small bowl and sprinkle the powdered gelatin over it. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- 3. Stir the dissolved gelatin into the very warm cream mixture. (If it has become too cool to dissolve the gelatin, set it back on a low flame, stirring continuously, until the gelatin is completely incorporated into the cream.)
- 4. Pour the panna cotta mixture into individual serving vessels or a single dish. Let sit for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator, undisturbed, on a flat surface. Drizzle the panna cotta lightly with a few drops of honey before serving.
Mary's Lavender Panna Cotta Recipe © 2009 Karen Bussen. Photo © 2009 William Geddes. All rights reserved.