Acacia Honey Panna Cotta

La storia di questo piatto

Panna cotta belongs to Piedmont's tables, a dessert of cream and milk that tastes of patient dairy country and of quiet Sunday endings. Acacia honey, pale and clear, is a gentle sweetness that never raises its voice.

Ingredienti

• 400 ml Heavy cream
• 100 ml Whole milk
• 70 g Acacia honey
• 3 sheets Gelatin sheets (2 g each)
• 200 ml Cold water for soaking, to be discarded
• 1 pod Vanilla bean pod (or alternatively 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, about 5 ml)
• 1 g Fine sea salt
• 20 g Acacia honey (for garnish)
• 10 g Toasted almond flakes (optional)
• 4 pieces Edible flowers (optional)

Preparazione

1. Submerge the 3 gelatin sheets in 200 ml of cold water, fully covered, for about 10 minutes. They are ready when soft and pliable, no longer stiff. Meanwhile, prepare 4 glasses of about 120 ml each.
2. Pour the cream and milk into a saucepan with a pinch of salt. Slit the vanilla pod lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add both the seeds and the empty pod to the saucepan. If using extract (1 teaspoon), do not add it now: add it in step 4 along with the gelatin.
3. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until small bubbles appear at the edges and steam begins to rise (about 70–80°C): the liquid must remain below a boil, as boiling cream changes consistency and can weaken the gelatin. Stir in the 70 g of honey and mix until completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
4. Cover the saucepan and let infuse for 10 minutes: the mixture remains warm enough to dissolve the gelatin (about 60°C is sufficient). If it has cooled too much, warm it briefly until warm to the touch, never boiling. Remove the pod. Squeeze the gelatin sheets well over the sink or an empty bowl, add them to the mixture, and stir until completely dissolved with no lumps. If using extract, add it now.
5. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl to remove any threads and lumps. The tiny vanilla seeds pass through and remain visible as specks: this is normal and desirable.
6. Cool the bowl in an ice bath, stirring occasionally, to about 35–40°C (just warm to the touch): this takes about 10 minutes and keeps the seeds evenly distributed. Pour into the 4 glasses, about 110–120 ml each, leaving about 2 cm from the rim, and cover each with plastic wrap in contact with the surface to prevent a skin from forming and to prevent odor absorption.
7. Transfer the glasses to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. The correct consistency is firm at the edges with a slight wobble in the center when you gently shake the glass.
8. Just before serving, remove the plastic wrap and drizzle 20 g of honey over each panna cotta. If desired, garnish with toasted almond flakes and edible flowers.