Panna cotta with lemon curd

I love panna cotta, but I must admit that it gets tiring on its own. It is a very delicate and fine dessert, with that light cream flavour and the touch of vanilla that I like to give it... but for me it is not enough: I need to add something extra to enjoy it, a contrast, and discovering the wonderful combination of panna cotta with lemon curd is a pleasure that I do not want to keep to myself - you have to try it!

Panna cotta is literally "cooked cream" and is one of the easiest desserts you can make : whipped cream with sugar and a little vanilla. To make it set, add a few sheets of gelatin. Nothing else!

But its finesse and sweetness, at least for me, tires me out a bit and I can't eat much of it... until I combine it with a strawberry or cherry sauce, or add some fresh fruit with a certain acidity to create freshness and contrast. Today was the time to add lemon curd, and the result was wonderful.

Also, instead of making it individually, I made it in XL size, in a cake loaf. Yes, you can also make flans, puddings and gelatins in Nordic Ware moulds, apart from all kinds of cakes! I find it very practical and the result is always spectacular. The last time I made it was in the Nordic Ware Star of David mould , and it turned out gorgeous. Today, I wanted to give it a festive and jovial touch, so I used the Gingerbread mould .

Don't be fooled by appearances! I've been making panna cotta in loaf cakes and bundt moulds for years, and they always turn out beautifully and with super defined shapes ! What happened today is that I didn't just set the mould with the panna cotta preparation (being able to accompany it with the lemon when serving it to each diner), but before putting it in the mould I already mixed in the lemon curd, to test if its lemon aroma was diluted throughout the preparation. The result couldn't have been better in terms of flavour: certainly, the touch of lemon has made the panna cotta acquire a delicious touch .

The negative side was that, despite having mixed it, there was a large amount of lemon curd that precipitated where the drawings of the little figures on the mould were , and the lemon curd, due to its liquid nature, could not take the shape of the mould. That is why it may seem that the mould did not do its job, but far from it , I have no doubt that it did (you only have to see the definition of the drawings where there is no lemon curd to believe me).

How to fix it? If you prefer the panna cotta to take the perfect shape of the mould, simply DO NOT add the lemon curd to the panna cotta mixture, and you will add it later as a side dish when serving.

If you like panna cotta and have never tried it, I definitely encourage you to make it - it has become my favorite combination for this dessert.

Ingredients (for a minimum 1 L mould)

• 750 ml whipping cream (35% mg)
• 90 gr of sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 6 sheets of gelatin
• 150g lemon curd (half a jar of Tiptree lemon curd )
• Mold release spray

Preparation

1. Place the gelatin sheets in a deep plate and cover them with water so that they hydrate.
2. In a saucepan, add the whipping cream and put it on low heat.
3. Add the sugar and vanilla, and mix well.
4. You can turn the heat to medium, but do not leave the mixture unattended and keep stirring with a spatula to ensure that the sugar has dissolved and the cream does not burn on the bottom.
5. When bubbles appear because it is about to boil, turn off the heat.
6. Immediately drain the gelatin sheets and add them to the saucepan. Stir to dissolve.
7. If you want to add lemon curd to the mixture, with the risk of not defining the shapes, but the added bonus of the lemon flavour spreading throughout the panna cotta, add the lemon curd and mix*.
8. Prepare the gingerbread loaf cake pan (or any other loaf or bundt cake pan) by spraying the entire interior surface with release spray (use a brush to spread it into all the gaps).
9. Pour the panna cotta mixture into the mould. Allow it to cool and, once it is lukewarm, place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
10. Unmold the panna cotta onto a rectangular Revol dish (just turn it in the dish and tap it a few times and you'll see that it comes out wonderfully).

*If you prefer to ensure a 100% perfect shape, do not add the lemon curd to the mixture: pour the panna cotta preparation with the gelatin into the mold and let it set, and when serving, add lemon curd to decorate each dish or cut you serve.

When serving, also place a bowl of lemon curd for those who want to serve themselves more. It's so delicious that I'm sure more than one person will do it!