Lemon Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce

I love trying new recipes, especially desserts! However, like a good chunk of the population these days, I'm constantly trying to 'eat better', which means my experiments in the recipe world usually revolve around meals or apps or snacks... not desserts. God knows I have no restraint when they're in my house. In any case, special occasions present the opportunity for experimentation with sweets, and for Valentine's Day I gave Panna Cotta a try. After the tasty rack of lamb, I knew we would want something refreshing and this recipe from Italian Food Forever, sounded ideal.

I had never had panna cotta prior to making this recipe, so I wasn't sure what to expect - it was amazing! It requires a bit of time to set up in the fridge, but, once it does, it is silky, creamy and incredible. The Lemon Panna Cotta on its own was good, but the topping made it better again. I would highly recommend this recipe.





Tip: If you have any leftover sauce, don't let it go to waste! It makes a luxurious topping for pancakes (trust me on this!) and Greek yogurt, and it has many, many more uses that, if given the time, and more sauce, I could share ;)

Ignore the mint. It was part of the lamb recipe I also prepped that day.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Whole Milk, Divided (we used Evaporated Milk)
• 2 tsp Unflavored Gelatin
• 2 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• Peel from 1 Lemon (removed with a veggie peeler)
• 1 tsp Fiori di Sicilia (Or 1/2 tsp Lemon Extract & 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract) - we opted for the lemon/vanilla combo.

Blueberry Sauce:

• 2 cups frozen Wild Blueberries - we used frozen Newfoundland blueberries picked Fall 2013, but bought extra in case we were short, hence the fresh blueberries pictured above
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
• 2 tbsp Cornstarch, mixed with 2 tbsp Cold Water
• 1/2 tsp Lemon Extract
• 1 tbsp Lemon Zest

Instructions:

1) In a heavy pot over medium heat, combine 1/2 cup of milk, the cream, sugar, lemon peel, and extract. Heat until simmering. Remove from heat and let the lemon peel steep in the cream for 15 minutes.

2) In the meantime, pour the remaining 1/2 cup of milk into a bowl (with a spout) and sprinkle the gelatin over the milk. Let the gelatin soften for 15 minutes.

3) Next, bring the cream mixture back to a simmer, then add the gelatin mixture and stir until it has dissolved. Rinse and dry your spouted bowl, before straining the cream mixture back into the bowl. Portion into eight 3/4 cup glasses or ramekins (or in our case, 4 sundae dishes).

4) Refrigerate for at least 6 hours until set.

The set panna cotta pre-sauce

You can make the sauce right away or hold off until just before serving.

Sauce:

1) In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/2 cup of water, sugar and lemon juice. Stir frequently, and bring to a low boil.

2) In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 tbsps of cold water, then slowly stir the corn starch into the blueberries, taking care not to crush the blueberries.

3) Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and gently stir in vanilla and lemon zest, and set aside until needed.

Serve the panna cotta with a heaping spoonful of blueberry sauce on top.

Altogether now 'MMmmmMMMmmm'.