Lemon-Lavender Panna Cotta
Lavender might be one of the most popular flowers in the world…aside from roses. That sweet, floral scent of lavender along with those bright purple buds makes it irresistible.
Believe it or not, lavender also has it’s own culinary uses, mostly in desserts, but it is also sometimes paired with rich, fatty foods such as cheese or cured meat to provide a light, unique floral flavor. However, one needs to be careful as just a tiny bit too much lavender can cause your dish to taste a bit soapy…unless, for some reason, you like the taste of soap.
I just so happen to have three huge lavender bushes in my backyard, so of course I had to wonder if there was anything I could make with them, and I think I’ve got it. I am going to pair the lavender with lemon for a delicious and light panna cotta.
From Italian, panna cotta means cooked cream, it is basically a cream based dessert that’s set with gelatin. It’s light, it’s pretty easy to make, doesn’t require any baking, and is gluten free if you are into that sort of thing.
I think that by steeping some of my lavender leaves into my cream it will lend a wonderfully unique flavor to my panna cotta. Let’s do it!
Makes 4 servings
1 packet unflavored gelatin powder (about 1 tbsp)
2 tbsp cold water
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half n half (Or milk)
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
1 lemon, outer peel shaved off in strips with a vegetable peeler
2 sprigs (about 3-4 inch long) fresh lavender leaves
A pinch of salt
Red and blue gel based food coloring, optional
Freshly grated lemon zest, for topping
1 tsp dried lavender buds (optional)
(Can’t find lavender leaves or want to make this in the winter? Then fresh thyme sprigs would also work)
Dump the gelatin into a small bowl and stir with the cold water. Leave that alone for a few minutes so the gelatin can bloom and activate.
In a medium saucepan, heat up the cream, half n half, sugar, vanilla, lemon peel, lavender, and salt until it comes up to a low boil, stirring occasionally. (Keep an eye on this, you don’t want the cream to boil over) Once hot, take it off and leave it for about 5 minutes to let the lemon and lavender steep into the cream.
If you want to, add 2-3 drops of red food coloring and 1 drop of blue, or enough to give you a light purple. (I admit that it looks a bit more light blue than purple in the images below, I didn’t realize how strong blue food coloring can be.)
Add the bloomed gelatin and stir until the gelatin is dissolved and combined with the cream. Pass through a strainer, discard the lemon and lavender, then pour into serving vessels.
(Double rocks glasses, martini glasses, ramekins, or even wine glasses. All are acceptable, it depends on what kind of look you’re going for with your panna cotta)
Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight. To serve, unmold onto plates and garnish with a grating of lemon zest and a pinch of dried lavender buds…or keep it in the serving glass, doesn’t matter too much to me.
