Quick and easy recipe for white chocolate Panna Cotta. With a rose twist to the traditional Italian dessert, sugar is replaced by white chocolate. Make in advance for parties, serve as dessert shots in glasses or turn out of silicone moulds for an elegant dinner party. Accompany with cherry sauce with cardamom for the ultimate flavour combination.
12ml (scant tbsp)rosewater or rose syrup* see NOTES
85g (3oz / 1 cup)white chocolate(34% cacao)
2-3dropspink food colouringoptional
Instructions
Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5-10 minutes.
Heat together the cream, milk, rosewater* and colouring (if using) in a saucepan and gradually melt in the white chocolate. Stir until smooth. Squeeze in the gelatine and stir to dissolve into the warm cream.
Pour into non-stick silicone moulds or into glasses.
Leave to chill and set in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Glasses: top with cherry sauce.Moulds: run the underside of the moulds under hot water (for up to a minute) then carefully turn them out on to a pastry scraper (or pie slice). This makes it easier to flip them directly on to the serving plates. Pour around the blended cherry sauce.
Notes
Serve the desserts chilled with this simple cherry sauce (recipe card below) with a hint of warming cardamom spice.Rosewater: I normally use half litre bottles of light rosewater from North Africa that I get in France. In Scotland, I could only find small 60ml bottles, which was so much more concentrated. The smaller the bottle, the smaller the dose needed. Ideally it should be water with essence of rose no more than about 6%.
Keyword make-ahead dessert, rose desserts, white chocolate desserts, white chocolate panna cotta, winter panna cotta