Vanilla panna cotta with strawberry, blueberry and champagne compote

My latest and most favourite pudding is panna cotta. It’s easy to make and there is a host of brilliant toppings you can use. It’s also brilliant as you can make it in advanced by a few hours or even the day before.

This panna cotta is full of vanilla and served with a strawberry, blueberry and champagne compote.

You can make the Panna Cotta in the morning before serving it after dinner or make it the night before and leave over night to to set fully.

Panna Cotta Ingredients

– 450ml double cream
– 200ml whole milk
– 100g caster sugar
– 3 gelatine leaves
– 1 vanilla pod split in half with vanilla seeds scraped out

Method

– Put the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water to soften for 5 minutes.
– In a pan on a medium-low heat warm up the cream, milk and caster sugar with the vanilla pod.
– When the cream mix is just starting to bubble turn the heat down to low.
– Squeeze out the water out of the gelatine and add to the cream mix one at a time.
– Add the next when the first has dissolved and keep stirring.
– When all three are dissolved remove from the heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
– Pour the creamy mix through a sieve into a bowl to catch the vanilla pieces.
– Spoon the mix into glasses filling three quarters up so there is space for the compote.

The compote you can make 1 hour before you need it or earlier. Make it 30-45 minutes before if you want it still slightly warm. Any less than 30 minutes and the hot fruit will melt the panna cotta back down.

Compote Ingredients

– 300g strawberries
– 100g blueberries
– 60g caster sugar– 100ml champagne
– tiny pinch of cinnamon

Method

– Pop all the ingredients into a pan and put on a medium heat until it start to bubble.
– Turn down to a low heat and allow it to bubble away and thicken slightly.
– When it starting to look a little jammy take off the heat and put in a bowl to cool.
– Spoon the compote over the panna cotta and serve.
– Enjoy!

Recently there have been a leap of cheap Champagne, Cava and Prosecco on sale in supermarkets. It is nice that there is now a medium price for the good bubbly. Tesco have a great range in their shops and spending roughly £20 you can get a good bottle which happens to be a perfect accompaniment to this panna cotta. Plus as you need a little champagne for the compote it’s a perfect excuse to serve the rest of the bubbly with the pudding.

This is a simple, stylish yet very tasty and exciting pudding. It’s great for a special occasions.

Yummy fruit mushing down into a champagne jam.