Clementine Panna Cotta

This dessert has been going down a treat with our residents! Inspired by taste buds, this clementine panna cotta is accompanied with an almond & fennel biscotti, packed with flavour.

Keeping things festive, we topped our panna cotta with reindeers, but you can create any shape you like!

Ingredients (panna cotta)

• 1 tablespoon liquid glucose
• 175g caster sugar
• 2 sheets of gelatine leaf
• 400ml double cream
• 2 tablespoons milk
• The zest of 4 clementines (finely grated). You can use zest strips of another 4 clementines for garnish 
• Juice of 1 clementine

Ingredients (biscotti)

• 230g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 170g caster sugar
• 95g soft butter
• 2 eggs
• 50g whole blanched almonds
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp almond extract
• Icing sugar for dusting

Method

1. Mix the liquid glucose, half of the sugar, and a tablespoon of water into a saucepan. Dissolve the sugar slowly over a low heat, occasionally stirring.
2. After the sugar has dissolved, bring the pan to the boil, and cook the mixture until it becomes a caramel colour. Then, set aside to cool. Taste buds magazine offers a top tip: if you but the base of the pan into cold water, it will prevent the caramel from cooking further as it cools.
3. Mix cream and milk in a large saucepan. Bring this to the boil, but keep it at a steady temperature – you don’t want the mixture to boil over the sides of the pan! Cook this for about five minutes.
4. As your cream and milk is cooking, put four dariole moulds onto a baking tray, and soak the gelatine sheets in cold water.
5. Take the boiling cream off the heat, before adding the rest of the sugar and the zest from your clementines. Remove excess water from the gelatine sheets, then add to the cream mixture and stir until completely dissolved.
6. Wait for this mixture to cool down, and then add the juice of the clementines.
7. Heat the oven to 190 degrees, and line two baking trays with baking parchment. Pour some of the caramel mixture into the bottom of the moulds, then add the cream mixture on top and chill until set.
8. Whilst the oven is pre-heating, heat a frying pan over medium heat and toast the almonds and fennel seeds together. Then, take off the heat and set aside.
9. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl, and mix butter and sugar together in a separate bowl. Mix the eggs with the almond extract, then add to the creamed butter bowl. Sift through the flour, before folding in the almonds and fennel seeds.
10. Shape into three logs 10cm x 5cm, and place onto the baking trays. Cook for around 20-25 minutes, then leave on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
11. When they’ve cooled down, cut into slices or your desired shape, then bake for 10 minutes so the biscotti is crispy and dry.

And there you have it! The perfect sweet treat, mixed with festive fun.

Looking for dinner beforehand? Have a look at our mediterranean roasted chicken breasts.