Caramelized Honey and Lavender Panna Cotta with Strawbery Lavender Coulis
You can control so many aspects of this Caramelized Honey and Lavender Panna Cotta. You can even choose to make an entirely different flavor than what I am sharing with you here. But if you are intrigued by the pairing of warm, nutty caramelized honey and mysterious, floral lavender, do give this combination a try. It is subtle and makes a lovely ending to a rich meal.
4ozlight honey. I didn't have anybut orange blossom or Tupelo honey would be ideal
16oz2 cups heavy cream
2teaspoonsdried lavender
16oz2 cups whole milk, divided use
1ozabout 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
heavy pinch of saltto taste. Do not leave it out.
3 ½ to 4teaspoonsplain granulated gelatin
½teaspoonvanilla extract or paste
For the Coulis
1pintfresh or frozen strawberries
½teaspoondried lavender
sugarto taste (maybe 2 Tablespoons)
2teaspoonsfreshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
pinchof saltto taste
¼teaspoonvanilla extract or paste
Instructions
Do These Things First
Put the 4 oz honey in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let boil for just a couple of minutes, until the honey darkens just a bit and it smells a bit more complex than when you first started. The honey will boil up very impressively, so keep an eye--and nose--on it. Once the honey has caramelized, pour it into a glass container and let it sit there at room temperature. It gets really thick, so don't refrigerate it. If it's too thick to spoon out when you need it, you can get it more liquidy by reheating in the microwave on medium power for a few seconds at a time.
Pour the heavy cream into a 2-ish quart bowl.
Crush or bruise the dried lavender flowers a bit. I just put them in my palm and then smoosh them with my thumb. Not the thumb on that hand. The other thumb.
Stir the lavender into the cream and let steep, covered and in the fridge, for about 4 hours or until the cream is as lavender-y as you like it. Feel free to use a bit more lavender than I've called for and/or steep longer if you are a huge lavender fan.
Strain the cream through a fine mesh strainer, pressing down on the lavender with a spatula to extract as much flavor as possible.
To Make the Panna Cotta
Have an ice bath ready--put ice and water in a bowl large enough to hold the bowl with the cream in it.
Set out some little ramekins, espresso cups, and/or bowls--how many will depend on how big they are. I aimed for about 3 oz per serving, and I ended up with 11-12 servings.
Put 8 oz (1 cup) of the whole milk into a medium saucepan.
Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the milk and then stir. Let sit for about 5 minutes to bloom the gelatin.
After 5 minutes, add 3 oz of caramelized honey (you may have a bit leftover. Put it in your tea), the sugar and the salt.
Heat over medium heat until the milk is hot but not boiling and everything has dissolved nicely.
Remove from the heat and then stir in the remaining cold milk.
Stir in the vanilla and then set aside.
Whip the cream until thickened and the whisk leaves tracks. No need to get it to reach any sort of peaks. You just want it thick.
While whisking slowly, pour in the milk/gelatin mixture and whisk to combine thoroughly.
Put the bowl in the ice bath and whisk frequently but not constantly until the mixture reaches about 50-52F. At this point, it will be thick enough to suspend the little specks of vanilla and not have them all sink to the bottom. This is important if you want to unmold the panna cotta later.
Fill the molds with your thickened panna cotta and chill in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.
For the Coulis
Place all the ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
Smash the berries with a masher or a fork as they start to release their juices.
Taste for sweetness and acidity and adjust to your liking by adding a bit more sugar and/or citrus.
Let simmer gently for maybe ten minutes or so, until slightly thickened.
Press the puree through a fine mesh strainer to remove all the seeds and let cool to room temperature.
To Serve
If you want to unmold the panna cottas onto plates, carefully run a thin spatula or knife around the inside of each mold. Dip the bottoms of the molds into hot water for just a few seconds.
Place a saucer over the top of each panna cotta, then invert each and give a firm shake. The panna cotta should plop out onto the plate.
Garnish with the coulis however you like. You can also add thin, vertical slices of strawberry to make wee hearts like I did.
You could also drizzle with just a touch of honey--not caramelized or it will be too sticky to eat neatly--and maybe a dusting of lavender sugar and lavender flowers if you'd like.
Notes
You may want your panna cotta sweeter than we wanted ours. Feel free to up the total sweetener to 5-6 oz from the total of 4 oz that is called for. Caramelized honey is a bit strong, so I recommend increasing the sugar rather than the honey.