Hi!!! Apologies for my long absence but I’m back again and this time with another sweet beginning! I guess by now all of you must think that I am somewhat of a dessert person. The truth is I’m not a sweet person at all!

Anyway, last weekend, after many quiet weekends, we got back into a routine of hosting dinner parties. I made a 2-course dinner of main and dessert. For the latter, since I had dried cranberries and cream at hand, I decided to make Panna Cotta with Cranberry Coulis.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cream

1 1/2 cups milk

1 vanilla bean

1/2 cup castor sugar

2 1/2 teaspoon gelatin powder

170 g dried cranberries

400 ml water

a shot of Cointreau (optional)

Place cream and milk in a saucepan. Using a sharp paring knife to split the vanilla bean lengthways, scrape the seeds from inside the bean and add the seeds and bean to the saucepan. Slowly bring it to boiling point though not boiling. Then, remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes.

Place 2 tablespoons of boiling water in a small heatproof bowl and sprinkle the gelatin powder over it. If the gelatin does not dissolve properly, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Remove from heat. Sit the bowl of gelatin in the water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Next, let it sit and cool a little.

Now, discard bean from the milk-cream mixture. Add sugar and return to a low heat. Stir for 5 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Then add the gelatin mixture and stir.

Lightly oil 6 x 1/2 cup (125ml) dariole moulds or ramekins. Place them on a tray and pour in the cream mixture equally. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or better yet, overnight, for it to set.

For the coulis, place both the cranberries and water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, continue stirring and cooking for another 5 minutes. Next, remove it from heat and remove 2 tablespoon of cranberries and save it. Using a hand blender, blend the mixture in the saucepan till you get a nice and smooth consistency. Then, if you fancy, add the shot of Cointreau now and stir. Set it aside.

To serve the panna cotta, break the seal by inserting a paring knife that has been dipped into hot water between the panna cotta and the mould. Turn the mould onto a serving plate and shake it a little to release. Serve the panna cotta with cranberry coulis immediately after assembly and ENJOY!!!

(Recipe from taste.com.au)