A few weeks ago I stumbled upon pints and pints of elderflowers at Specialty Produce and could hardly contain my excitement as I picked out the sweetly scented, creamy white blossoms. It was my first time seeing elderflowers! Given how expensive they were, I only bought enough to use as a garnish for a simple treat I had in mind--panna cotta.
I used one of my favorite liqueurs, St Germaine, to add a subtle elderflower flavor to the panna cotta, then topped it off with fresh elderflowers, strawberries, and pistachio. It was so good we polished a whole batch in two days. Then I made it again per my hubby’s request. This panna cotta is the perfect embodiment of spring with the delicate elderflowers and sun kissed strawberries.
Elderflower panna cotta
1 ½ cups organic heavy cream
½ cup organic 2% milk
¼ cup sugar
2 gelatin sheets (I used PerfectaGel Platnium Gelatin)
½ vanilla bean pod
2 tbsps elderflower cordial (St Germaine)
1 tablespoon roasted unsalted pistachio, chopped
½ cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced in half if big
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Fresh elderflower for garnish
1. Combine heavy cream, milk, and sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer for a few minutes. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Scrape the vanilla pod’s seeds into the milk, whisk to combine, and add the pod. Steep the pod until it has softened. Remove the pot from heat and discard the vanilla pod.
3. Soak the gelatine sheets in a small bowl of cold water for 5-7 minutes until softened.
4. Remove the sheets and squeeze them to remove excess water. Add them to the vanilla-infused cream mixture while it’s still hot. Whisk to completely dissolve the gelatin sheet.
5. Stir in the elderflower cordial.
6. Allow the cream mixture to cool completely and pour into individual ramekin and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight until fully set.
7. When ready to serve, combine the sliced strawberries with powdered sugar in a bowl and let it macerate for 10 minutes.
8. Turn the panna cottas out onto serving plates, top with the strawberries, chopped pistachios, and garnish with a few elderflowers.
Leave a Reply