Fennel and orange panna cotta
Ingredients
- Orange sorbet:
- 500ml fresh orange juice
- 75g caster sugar
- 32g liquid glucose
- 50ml water
- 20ml lemon juice
- Panna cotta:
- 500ml whole milk
- 500ml double cream
- 125g caster sugar
- 190g fennel bulb, finely sliced
- 6 bronze gelatine sheets, soaked in water
- Candied fennel:
- 325g fennel bulb, sliced
- 200g caster sugar
- 50ml water
- 250g caster sugar
- Fennel purée:
- remainder of fennel from the candied recipe (above)
- 40g caster sugar
- 250g water
- 5 cardamom pods, wrapped into a lemon wrap
- 10ml lemon juice
- Fresh orange gel:
- 300ml fresh orange juice
- 50g caster sugar
- 4g agar agar
- To accompany:
- fresh orange segments
- borage flower (if available)
Method
- Orange sorbet: Bring all ingredients to a boil in a pan.
- Cool in the fridge and churn in an ice cream machine.
- Set aside until needed.
- Panna cotta: Bring milk, cream, sugar and fennel to a boil.
- Take off heat and leave to infuse overnight.
- Next day, pass through a fine chinois.
- Bring to a boil and add soaked gelatine.
- Put in bowls or moulds and refrigerate to set.
- Candied fennel: Cut fennel bulb in half lengthways and thinly slice from the outside.
- Separate ‘fingers’ (green bits on top of the bulb) from the middle piece.
- Put 200g caster sugar and water in a pan and boil for 5 mins.
- Stir in fennel pieces and drain off any excess liquid.
- Put in a bowl with 250g caster sugar and rub fennel through until separated and coated in a layer of sugar.
- Fennel purée: Put all ingredients in a pan and stew, lid on, until fennel is soft and breakable.
- Blitz to a smooth purée in a blender.
- Fresh orange gel: In a saucepan, bring all ingredients to a boil for 1 min.
- Put in a tub and set in the fridge.
- Once set, blitz with a stick blender until it’s a smooth gel.
- To serve: Garnish each panna cotta with a couple of skinned orange segments, a dot of fennel purée and a dot of orange gel.
- Top with candied fennel pieces and finish with a scoop of sorbet.
