Panna cotta with lemon curd

I love panna cotta, but I must admit that eaten as-is, on its own, it tires me. It's a very delicate and refined dessert, with that slight cream flavor and the hint of vanilla I like to add... but for me it's not enough: I need to give it a boost to enjoy it, a contrast, and discovering the wonderful combination of panna cotta with lemon curd is a delight I don't want to keep to myself - you have to try it!

Panna cotta is literally "cooked cream", and it's one of the easiest desserts you can make: whipping cream with sugar heated with a little vanilla. To set it, you add some gelatin sheets. That's it!

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

Also, instead of making it individually, I made it XL-size, in a loaf cake. Yes, in Nordic Ware molds you can also make flans, puddings and jellies, besides 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 mold, and it looked gorgeous. Today, I wanted to give it a festive, cheerful touch, so I used the Gingerbread mold.

Don't be fooled by appearances! I have been making panna cotta in loaf cakes and bundt molds for years, and they always look beautiful with very defined shapes! What happened today is that I didn't set the mold with the panna cotta mixture alone (being able to accompany it with the lemon when serving each guest), but before putting it in the mold I already mixed in the lemon curd, to see if its lemon aroma would spread through the whole preparation. The result couldn't have been better in flavor: indeed, the hint of lemon made the panna cotta acquire a delicious touch.

The negative point was that, despite having mixed, a large amount of lemon curd sank into the areas with the little character shapes of the mold, and the lemon curd, being liquid by nature, couldn't take the mold's shape. That's why it may look like the mold didn't do its job, but far from that I have no doubt that it did (you only have to see the definition of the shapes 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 mold, simply DO NOT add the lemon curd to the panna cotta mixture, and add it later as a accompaniment when serving.

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

Ingredients (for a mold of at least 1 L)

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

Preparation

1. Place the gelatin sheets in a shallow dish and cover them with water so they can hydrate.
2. In a saucepan, add the whipping cream and heat it over low heat.
3. Add the sugar and vanilla, and mix well.
4. You can increase to medium heat, but don't walk away from the preparation and keep stirring continuously with a spatula to ensure the sugar has dissolved and the cream doesn't 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 so they dissolve.
7. If you want to add the lemon curd to the mixture, accepting the risk that the shapes won't be well defined but with the plus that the lemon flavor will spread through the panna cotta, add the lemon curd and mix*.
8. Prepare the gingerbread loaf cake mold (or any other loaf or bundt), applying release spray to the entire inner surface (use a brush to spread it into all the crevices).
9. Pour the panna cotta mixture into the mold. Let it cool, and when it's warm, refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
10. Unmold the panna cotta onto a rectangular Revol platter (just by turning it onto the platter and tapping a few times you'll see it unmold beautifully).

*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 plate or slice you serve.

When bringing it to the table, also place a bowl of lemon curd for those who want to serve themselves more. It's so delicious that I assure you more than one person will!