Yoghurt Panna Cotta with Gin Poached Rhubarb

Gin and rhubarb are a match made in heaven and I love adding a shot of Mirabeau Dry Gin and a few sprigs of rosemary to my poached rhubarb, which I’m currently making on repeat. It’s lovely simply served with yoghurt, cream or custard; but here I’ve paired it with a tangy yoghurt panna cotta for a more celebratory Easter pudding. The bright green of the pistachios and the electric pink of the rhubarb creates the perfect pop of a colour for a sunny new season.

Lindsay Radcliffe, The Feast

Ingredients (makes 4)

For the Panna Cotta:

  • 250ml double cream
  • 250ml full fat Greek yoghurt
  • 1 vanilla pod/1 tsp vanilla paste
  • 2 1⁄2 sheets of leaf gelatine
  • 50g caster sugar

For the Rhubarb:

  • Juice and zest of three large oranges (I used blood oranges)
  • 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
  • 6 rhubarb stalks (I like to use Yorkshire forced rhubarb)
  • 50ml Mirabeau Dry Gin
  • 3 rosemary sprigs
  • Chopped pistachios to serve

Method:

Start by making the Panna Cotta. Place the gelatine sheets in a bowl of cold water and leave to soften. Combine the cream, yoghurt, sugar and vanilla pod/paste in a saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Squeeze the excess water out of the gelatine leaves and add them to the cream mixture. Stir until the gelatine is completely dissolved.

Pour the cream mixture into four ramekins and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set. You could also pop them in the freezer for a short while to speed up the process.

While the panna cotta is setting, make the rhubarb. Preheat the oven to 190C (170 fan). Place the orange juice, zest and brown sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Cut the rhubarb stalks into thumb sized pieces and place in an ovenproof dish, making sure the rhubarb pieces are barely touching.

Pour over the orange juice mixture, followed by the gin. Add the rosemary sprigs, cover with foil and place in the preheated oven for about 10 – 15 minutes, until the rhubarb is soft, but still holding its shape. Keep an eye on it towards the end as it can quickly become very soft. Leave to cool. It’s best at room temperature or slightly chilled when served with the panna cotta.

When you’re ready to serve, dip the base of the ramekins into hot water to loosen the panna cottas and then tip them out onto plates. Pile on the rhubarb and drizzle over some of the poaching syrup. Scatter over the pistachios and serve straight away.

Lindsay created this recipe to pair with a Rhubarb Gimlet cocktail.

Recipe by Lindsday Radcliffe

A couple of years ago, I packed up my frantic London life and set off for the countryside. Along with the move, I launched my blog, The Feast, to document my obsession with food. I’m an unschooled home-cook, with no greater knowledge than other home-cooks across the country. On Lindsay’s Feast, I share my culinary wisdom and (mis)adventures. Whether it’s meeting local producers, swishing across the pond to learn the finer points of wine-tasting, or quite simply battering around my own kitchen attempting to make meringues. I have an excessive sweet-tooth and have never been known to turn down a pudding.

Over the years I’ve lived in Hong Kong, Spain and South Africa, and each place, along with its food, has become a little part of who I am. I now live in a tiny cottage in a bustling Hampshire village. While I may endlessly complain about the rain and threaten to emigrate to the southern hemisphere at least twice a week, this cottage, with its miniscule kitchen and lop-sided stove, is starting to feel very much like home.

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