Grilled Apricot Panna Cotta
The sweet, grilled apricots and caramel almonds are a delicious combination with the creamy panna cotta.
INSTRUCTIONS
The panna cotta will need to freeze for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
In a medium pot, combine the cream, sugar and vanilla or almond extract. Heat (scald) on medium-low until almost at a boiling point, about 10-15 minutes (do not boil). Remove the pot from the heat, cover with a lid and let sit.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, add the water. Slowly sprinkle in the powdered gelatin. Make sure that the gelatin gets completely moist without stirring it. (You may need to dab in a tiny bit more water with your wet fingertips). Let sit until the gelatin is fully "bloomed", about 10 minutes.
Reheat the pot of cream slightly, stir in the bloomed gelatin and make sure that the gelatin complete melts in the cream. Once the gelatin is melted, strain the cream mixture through a fine mesh sieve.
Pour into clean Silpat or silicone molds. Let cool slightly, then freeze until solid. (They will freeze within 3 hours, but you can also freeze them overnight).
In a small pot, combine the water and sugar, ensuring no sugar sticks to the sides. Add in a few drops lemon juice and stir with a clean wooden spoon to make sure there are no clumps in the sugar. Do not stir again!
Heat the sugar on medium heat until the sugar starts to turn a light amber color (350 degrees F on a candy thermometer if you have one), about 20-30 minutes. Once the sugar starts to caramelize, carefully swirl the liquid around in the pot to make sure that it caramelizes evenly. Remove from heat. Let sit for a few minutes, then carefully whisk in the butter until melted. Slowly add in the cream (it will bubble up, so be careful). Add in the sea salt and whisk until incorporated. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes, then pour into a reusable container (this will make cleaning the pot easier). Refrigerate any unused caramel for up to several months.
Preheat your grill or a grill pan to very hot.
Pit and cut the apricots in half. Brush the cut side with olive oil.
Place the apricots cut-side down onto the grill or grill pan and grill for 30 seconds to one minute, make nice dark grill marks on them. Remove them from the grill and cut some into smaller pieces, reserving some for halves for a garnish. Put the cut pieces into a bowl and pour in about ½ cup caramel sauce, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and the cinnamon.
In a dry sauté pan, on medium heat, toast the chopped almonds until golden brown, about 1 minute.
When you are ready to serve, remove the panna cotta from the molds and place them onto serving dishes. Allow them to thaw, about 10 minutes.
Carefully spoon the apricots over the panna cotta and drizzle with more caramel and the chopped almonds. Serve immediately.
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