Vanilla Panna cotta, Guava and Sesame Tuile

Pannacotta is so simple to make at home and yet I have rarely found it on dessert menus when I eat out here in Cape Town. Instead, all dessert menus, without fail, offer creme brulee, usually vanilla. I could happily live the rest of my life without ever seeing another creme brulee. However, the worst pannacotta I have ever tasted was in the restaurant of the very expensive Mount Nelson Hotel. It was a solid lump of gelatine lightly flavoured with cream, instead of the gently trembling light dessert I've previously enjoyed, see below......You can make them in ramekin moulds or silicone muffin trays. If you don't want to turn them out, just pour the liquid into your serving dishes or glasses. For a vegetarian version of pannacotta without using gelatine, do not use any milk, but make up the liquid quantity using double cream. Reduce slowly, cool, and then pour into shot glasses while warm.

I served my pannacottas with guavas, which are in season now, and a sesame seed tuile which I made with gluten free flour. To make the sauce, I simply reduced some guava juice in a pan until it thickened. Pannacotta is such an easy, light dessert and you don't even have to turn the oven on. The quantities below serve 4, or 6 small portions.


Ingredients
375ml double cream
125ml milk
1 vanilla pod
50g caster sugar
2 gelatine leaves

Method

Heat the milk, cream, sugar and vanilla seeds and pod together in a saucepan.
When it reaches boiling point, cover the pan with cling film and leave to infuse
at least 20 mins. Gently stir to dissolve the sugar.

soak the gelatine leaves in cold water until soft.
Add the gelatine to the cream mix and leave a few moments to dissolve.
Strain into a jug and pour into your serving dishes/ moulds.
Cool, and refrigerate until set.
To unmould metal ramekins, dip briefly in hot water and turn out.
To unmould silicon moulds, freeze them, then turn out when frozen.