SWEET TEA PANNA COTTA WITH GINGER CARAMEL

It’s always fun to play with unexpected flavors in a classic presentation. I put an Asian spin on this panna cotta by using green tea and ginger. EXPERIENCE LEVEL: art
YIELD: 12 SERVINGS

SWEET TEA PANNA COTTA

2 cups strong green tea, chilled

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin

¾ cup milk

¾ cup heavy cream

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Stir together the green tea and gelatin and set aside briefly. Combine milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the sugar. Heat to boiling; remove from heat. Add vanilla and gelatin-tea mixture and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Pour into twelve lightly buttered custard cups and refrigerate at least 4 hours until gelatin sets completely.

GINGER CARAMEL

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 teaspoons peeled and finely grated fresh ginger

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

In a small saucepan, simmer ½ cup heavy cream with the ginger for about 10 minutes. Set aside. In another small, heavy saucepan, cook the sugar with the lemon juice over low heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar caramelizes to a light brown color, 10–15 minutes. Being careful to avoid splatters, stir the remaining 2 tablespoons heavy cream into the sugar. Remove from the heat. Strain the reserved ginger cream into a bowl and then whisk into the pot of caramel until smooth. Serve warm or at room temperature with panna cotta.

CHEF’S NOTES:

This dessert is great as a stand-alone or as part of a dessert buffet. You could also make these in an ice cream pop mold, cut them into chunks, and serve with caramel.

VARIATIONS:

Change the tea to another liquid, such as a berry puree or another flavored tea.

BEST SEASON:

This can be made year-round.

art