Strawberry Panna Cotta with Chocolate and Mint Jelly
·Whip it up
Beat the ricotta with the sugar. You can use a whisk or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. I'd recommend going easy on the sugar – this dessert works better with a lighter sweetness.
Add the strawberries
Add the finely chopped strawberries, setting aside about five or six pieces for decoration. Whisk everything together. The strawberries will break down slightly, giving the cream a lovely pale pink colour.
Gelatine in the cream
Heat the cream in a saucepan, then whisk in the powdered gelatine, stirring thoroughly. Keep whisking until the gelatine has fully dissolved and the cream has thickened. Continue stirring so no lumps form in the gelatine.
Whisk into the ricotta
Add about three tablespoons of the ricotta cream to the saucepan and quickly whisk it together with the cream mixture. Once it's smooth, gradually whisk this mixture, a little at a time, into the ricotta and strawberry base.
A smooth cream
Whisk until you have a smooth cream. I use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment throughout this whole process.
Into the moulds
Pour the finished cream into your prepared moulds. I use a silicone half-sphere mould, but silicone muffin moulds work well too. Leave to set in the fridge for a few hours.
Mint jelly
The other thing to prepare ahead, since it also needs time to set in the fridge, is the mint jelly. Tear 4 sprigs of mint into smaller pieces and put them in a saucepan. Pour over hot water, add the sugar and stir. Leave to infuse for about 5 minutes.
Stir in the gelatine
Strain the liquid, then whisk the powdered gelatine into the hot liquid. Keep stirring until it has fully dissolved, then pour into a wide, shallow bowl. Leave to set in the fridge.
Unmould the domes
Carefully turn the set domes out of the mould. Arrange skewers over a small roasting tray and rest the domes on top – a wire rack works just as well.
Chocolate coating
Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. Add a knob of butter and stir it in with a whisk. Coat the domes with the thinned chocolate and pop them back in the fridge briefly to set.
Decorate the plate
Dip a wide brush or a narrow kitchen spatula into the leftover or dripped chocolate. Drag it across the plate to create a chocolate 'smear'.
Add the biscuit crumb
Blitz the biscuits into a fine crumb – a food processor works best. Place a round mould on top of the chocolate smear, fill it with the biscuit crumb, then carefully lift the mould away. The mound will spread slightly but should still hold a neat round shape.
Plate the domes
Now for the moment that calls for a bit of care: carefully transfer the chocolate-coated domes onto the centre of the biscuit crumb.
Finish with the jelly
Take the mint jelly out of the fridge and scrape it with a fork. Use this mint mixture to decorate the panna cotta. Finish off by adding fresh strawberries to the plate.
Serving tip
If you're not keen on coating the whole dessert in chocolate, you can simply drizzle a little chocolate over the top of the panna cotta instead. It looks just as lovely. The key is to keep that perfect combination of strawberries, chocolate and mint intact.
Tip: biscuits with chocolate
If you're not keen on coating the whole dessert in chocolate, you can simply drizzle a little chocolate over the top of the panna cotta instead. It looks just as lovely. The key is to keep that perfect combination of strawberries, chocolate and mint intact.