Vanilla Orange Panna Cotta
A couple weeks ago, I took an Alison Roman baking class. It was super educational, but most importantly, she opened the class up for Q&A while our cakes were in the oven. A few things -
#1, Citrus is AMAZING right now
#2, I now have buttermilk in my fridge I need to do something with (from said baking class)
#3, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner
So my one question I asked was “Is it ok if I mix citrus with your Panna Cotta recipe from Nothing Fancy”? I could’ve asked anything - people asked her all sorts of serious questions, but all I wanted was her blessing to switch out a few ingredients. Hey, we all have our compulsions - constant and absolute permission/approval is mine.
So, with her blessing in tow - I ordered as much citrus as I could from Good Eggs and got to experimenting. After a couple unsuccessful rounds of trying to candy some kumquats, I settled on something much simpler and much tastier. It helps that Good Eggs came through with some seriously delicious Cara Cara oranges. If you haven’t had a Cara Cara, I highly recommend trying one. It has a beautiful pinkish-red inside and is sweeter than a regular orange.
Go ahead and make this for your sweetie, or just for yourself! Make it for Valentine’s Day, make it for just a Tuesday (armpit of the week, as my friend E says)!
Vanilla Orange Panna Cotta (adapted from Alison Roman’s recipe in Nothing Fancy)
Serves: as many as you want! You can fill little tiny dixie cups and serve your whole apartment building, or fill up big cereal bowl and only serve 4 - up to you!
Ingredients -
1 envelope plain/unflavored gelatin
3 cups heavy cream (separated)
1/2 cup honey
1 cup sour cream
1 cup butter milk
1 vanilla bean
2 oranges, zested
pinch of salt
1 tbsp champagne vinegar
Vanilla extract
Recipe -
Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup of (room temp) water, let soften about 2-3 minutes
In a medium saucepan over low heat, mix together 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup honey and the gelatin. Heat and mix until all the gelatin is dissolved, but don’t let mixture come to a simmer
In a separate bowl, mix together 2 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup buttermilk, inside of *1 vanilla bean*, zest from two oranges, and big pinch of salt
Once that is mixed, slowly whisk in the hot cream/honey/gelatin mixture
Pour the mix into ramekins or glasses, whatever containers you prefer and let chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours
While the panna cotta is chilling, take the two oranges you zested and peel. Cut off as much pith and membrane as possible
Toss the oranges with a tbsp of champagne vinegar, a tbsp of honey and a splash (about 1/2 tsp) of vanilla extract. Cover and let sit while the panna cotta continues to chill
Once the panna cotta is set, take out and garnish with the orange mixture and some more zest if you feel like it and enjoy!
Keep your knives and your wits sharp, my friends
*take a small knife, and split vanilla bean down the middle. Use your fingers to “peel” open the bean and set back down on a flat surface. Using the dull end of your knife, start at the top of the bean and scrape the black paste out. Voila - fresh vanilla!*