Saffron is not only brilliant in savoury cooking; its floral taste and aroma lends itself equally well to the sweeter side. This is an excellent make-ahead dessert to impress guests — all three components can be prepared in advance, if desired.
SAFFRON YOGHURT PANNA COTTA RECIPE
Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes plus chilling time
Serves 6
Panna cotta
Canola oil, to grease
585ml cream
10g powdered gelatine
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
¼ tsp saffron threads
100g caster sugar
280g unsweetened natural Greek yoghurt
Honey-mint oranges
2 Tbsp honey
2 oranges, peeled and cut into segments
10 mint leaves, thinly sliced
Almond crumble
55g ground almonds
50g plain flour
50g soft brown sugar
¼ tsp sea salt
50g chilled butter, cut into small cubes
45g almonds, roughly chopped
- Lightly grease 6 dariole moulds or ramekins (about 150–200ml) with a little canola oil to coat the base and sides. Place the moulds onto a board.
- For the panna cotta, place 85ml of the cream in a small bowl and sprinkle over the gelatine. Stir to combine and set aside to allow the gelatine to bloom.
- Combine the remaining 500ml cream with the orange zest, saffron threads and sugar in a saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, then increase to medium-high heat. When just starting to boil, immediately remove from the heat. Whisk in the gelatine mixture until the gelatine is completely dissolved then leave for 2 minutes to cool slightly.
- Place the yoghurt in a large pouring bowl or jug and whisk until smooth. Strain the heated cream through a sieve into the bowl with the yoghurt, pouring slowly to avoid forming too many bubbles. Press the orange zest and saffron to release any remaining liquid.
- Gently whisk the mixture until smooth then carefully pour into the moulds to fill just below the rim. Cover with clingfilm, ensuring it doesn’t touch the liquid. Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours (or overnight) to set. These can be made up to 3 days in advance.
- Prepare the honey-mint oranges at least 1 hour before serving. Warm the honey in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is runny and liquid. Place the orange segments and mint in a bowl and pour over the warm honey. Toss to coat then set aside for at least 1 hour, for the flavours to amalgamate.
- Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced (or 180C conventional). Line an oven tray with baking paper.
- To make the almond crumble, place the ground almonds, flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk together with a fork. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until starting to resemble breadcrumbs. Stir through the chopped almonds and spread onto the oven tray. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool to room temperature before breaking up into a crumble.
- When ready to serve, remove the clingfilm from the panna cotta. Dip each mould into a bowl of hot water for 10–30 seconds (depending on the thickness of the mould or ramekin), ensuring no water gets on the panna cotta. Run the blunt tip of a small butter knife around the top edge of the mould to separate the panna cotta a little. Place a plate on top of each panna cotta and invert the mould onto the plate. Give it a reasonable tap or shake and the panna cotta should come out (if not, it may need a few more seconds in the hot water to loosen).
- Sprinkle the almond crumble around the base of each panna cotta and serve with the honey-mint oranges and a spoonful of the syrup. Serve immediately.
Recipe extracted from Good Vibes by Alby Hailes (HarperCollins NZ, $55).
