What’d You Do Last Weekend?
Make your own bitters.
Honey Panna Cotta with Green Cardamom
We recently went to Volterra, a little Italian restaurant in Ballard that's been getting a lot of press lately. Dinner was pretty good, but Todd's dessert was the shining star: a lovely panna cotta served with sliced strawberries (a little out of season, but perfect) and apricot compote. I took the idea home and devised my own interpretation, with a little help from the Splendid Table.
Honey Panna Cotta with Green Cardamom
1 1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 c milk
1/4 c strong honey (I used Fireweed honey because I was unable to get chestnut honey)
3 sheets gelatin
water (to soak gelatin)
4 green cardamom pods
vegetable oil (to line molds)
- In a heavy-bottomed pan, combine the cream, milk, honey and cardamom over medium heat. Do not bring to a boil - this should barely begin to bubble on the edges.
- Soak the gelatin in cold water. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Strain the cream mixture to remove the cardamom pods.
- Remove the gelatin from the water and squeeze out the excess water.
- Plunge the gelatin into the hot cream mixture and stir well with a spoon or a whisk (do not stir so much as to create a foam, however).
- Pour into greased molds and refrigerate until firm.
- To unmold, place the mold in a dish of hot water very briefly and invert onto a plate.
I served this with a blueberry sauce, but I did notice a grit to the frozen blueberries that might not be present with fresh berries. Strain the sauce carefully to remove pits, seeds, and any grit - this panna cotta is very smooth and will clash with any texture that doesn't support it.
