This creamy, dreamy panna cotta is surprisingly simple to make and tastes like a fancy dessert! Rich white chocolate and a hint of vanilla create a treat for any occasion. We've paired it with a quick homemade apricot puree – so tangy and refreshing – and a sprinkle of crunchy, salty-sweet macadamia crumb.
1tin apricotsin juice – retain the juice I used a 410g (14.4 oz) tin
2tablespoonshoneyor to taste
1/2teaspoonvanilla extract
Pinchof sea salt
To serve:
Salted Macadamia Crumbsee recipe
Apricot Pureesee recipe
25g0.8 oz white chocolate, grated (optional)
Instructions
For the White Chocolate Panna Cotta (can make the night before):
Place a small saucepan with an inch of water in it, on to moderate heat until water is gently simmering. Place the white chocolate, cream, sugar and vanilla into a heat proof bowl and place over top of the saucepan (make sure the water isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl). Stir regularly until the chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat when melted.
Place the gelatine sheets into the cold water and soak for about 2 to 3 minutes until they are softened. Squeeze all the excess water out of the gelatine and place the gelatine into the warm chocolate and cream mixture, stir through immediately until thoroughly combined.
Pour the warm mixture through a sieve into a jug.
Fold in the yoghurt and carefully pour into the ramekins or alternative serving dishes. Place on a tray and put into the fridge to set for at least 4 hours or overnight for a firmer set.
For the Macadamia Crumb:
Put the macadamia nuts into a food processor and pulse until it reaches a crumb consistency.
Melt butter in fry pan. Add maple syrup, coconut sugar and sea salt (I recommend you add just a little salt at a time, tasting as you go, until you achieve the right level of saltiness) to combine. Add the nuts to the mixture to coat, then transfer them to the oven to caramelize and roast for 8-12 minutes or until golden. Let them cool in the tray to crunch up.
For the Apricot Puree:
Put the apricots and 75ml (2.5 fl oz) of the apricot juice into a small saucepan. Add the honey, vanilla and salt. Bring to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the apricots are soft and the juice has reduced somewhat.
Allow to cool, then transfer to a blender (add only a small amount of the liquid to start with so you can control the thickness of the puree, and add more as needed) and blitz until completely smooth. Check for sweetness and adjust by adding more honey if needed. You can transfer the puree to a squeeze bottle if you want to create circular patterns around the panna cotta.
To serve:
Take out the panna cotta from the fridge about 15 minutes before serving.
You can serve the panna cotta in their ramekins, or you can invert it (as I did). If you’re inverting, run a sharp knife around the ramekin and dunk the ramekin in some shallow hot water for a few seconds at a time. If it’s not coming out, simply continue to dunk in hot water until it eventually plops out.
Add some macadamia nut crumb alongside (or on top if serving in dishes) and a layer (or swirls) of apricot puree.
Sprinkle over some extra grated white chocolate if you like.