Vanilla Panacotta with Raspberry and Blackberry Sauce

Vanilla Panacotta with Raspberry and Blackberry sauce

This is a lovely Summer dessert, berries picked from the garden and crunchy granola sprinkled over.  Also nice with crushed nut brittle or shortbread biscuits. I used a 7cm Round 4cm high dariole mould.

Makes 6

For the Panacotta

266ml whole milk

266ml double cream

3 sheets leaf gelatine 

1 vanilla pod or heaped tsp vanilla paste

25 grams sugar

For the sauce

100g fresh raspberries

100g fresh blackberries

1 level tbsp icing sugar

A few berries for decoration

Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water.

Add the cream, milk and sugar to a saucepan.  Split the vanilla pod and add to the milk/ cream mixture. If you are using vanilla paste add now.

Warm over a med heat to scald (this is the stage before boil) Stir to make sure the sugar has dissolved.

Remove from the heat, take out the vanilla pod and remove the gelatine from the water and add to the pan, stir to dissolve the gelatine.

Put the mixture in a jug and pour into the moulds.

Place in the fridge for 4 hours, or overnight.

To remove the Panacotta from the moulds dip the base of the mould in a bowl of warm water, place a small plate or bowl over and turn it upside down, shake it very gently and it should fall onto the plate.

To make the sauce place the berries and icing sugar in a processor, blend for a few seconds then strain the sauce though a sieve into a jug.

 

Pour a little over the Panacotta and sprinkle 2 tsp granola. Decorate with berries.

Mushroom Risotto with Roast Tomatoes and Crispy Basil

Mushroom Risotto with Roast Tomatoes and Crispy Basil.    

A reasonably priced dish for mid-week or a special dinner with friends and family.

Another recipe To add to the repertoire for the tomato harvest.

Serves 4 as a main course

Serves 6 as a starter

   

         

For the Risotto

200g risotto rice

2 tbsp olive oil

2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

100g mushrooms, I used chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped

80g Parmesan cheese, grated

170ml white wine

1tbsp butter

1 litre chicken stock (I used 2 chicken stock cubes)

300g cherry tomatoes

Leaves from large bunch of basil

Olive oil spray or drizzle

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 180c

Heat the oil over a medium heat and gently cook the shallots for 5 mins, stirring occasionally.

Add the garlic and mushrooms and stir fry for around 5-6 mins until the mushrooms are just cooked.

Add the risotto rice and stir For a couple of minutes to coat all the grains.

Add the white wine and stir until it is absorbed.  

Place the tomatoes in an ovenproof dish and spray or drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and scatter the basil leaves over the top.  Roast for 10 - 15 mins until the tomatoes are just starting to split and the basil leaves are crisp.

Add add 1 ladle of stock, stirring continually, until The stock has dried up then add another ladle of stock and keep repeating this process until the rice is plump, tender and a little al dente.

Add the butter to the risotto and stir until melted, add 2/3 Parmesan stir in for 1 min.

Serve with the remaining Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Spoon the roast tomatoes over and scatter a few crispy basil leaves on top.

Drizzle with olive oil before serving.