In-season: Heavy Cream
It’s no secret that the list of in-season fruits and vegetables is pretty short in the wintertime for Michiana. But some ingredients, such as dairy products, don’t have a season. Heavy cream is often ...
Panna Cotta with Wine and Spiced Poached Pears
Panna cotta
½ cup whole milk
1 packet unflavored granulated gelatin, about 1 tablespoon
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Poached pears
4 ripe bosc pears
Juice and zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup red wine
½ cup honey
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
1 whole star anise
Place the milk in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin evenly on top. Let it sit and soften.
In a small saucepan, heat the cream, sugar, vanilla and salt over medium heat until steam just begins to rise off the surface and the sugar is dissolved, whisking constantly. Don’t let the mixture boil. Remove from heat.
Pour the gelatin mixture into the saucepan with the warm cream and whisk well. Dip a spoon into the mixture and lift it up; if you see any gelatin granules on the back of the spoon, keep whisking until fully dissolved.
Pour the mixture into glasses or ramekins, dividing evenly. Put the glasses on a tray and carefully place in the refrigerator. Chill until set, 3 hours or overnight. If chilling overnight, place plastic wrap over each glass after the first hour to prevent a film from forming on top of the panna cotta.
To prepare the poached pears, peel the pears, cut them in half and scoop out the seeds from each half. Chop pears into bite-size pieces.
Whisk the cornstarch into the orange juice and place in a saucepan over medium heat with the wine, orange zest, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, cloves and anise. Once the mixture is bubbling, reduce the heat to low and add the chopped pears. Simmer uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
Remove the cinnamon stick, cloves and anise. Set pears aside to cool on the counter or in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, spoon the poached pears on top of each serving of panna cotta
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