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burnt honey & almond panna cottas with roasted peaches
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Burnt Honey & Almond Panna Cottas With Roasted Peaches

We're flavouring a batch of classic panna cottas with roasted almonds & burnt honey. They're super creamy, perfectly sweet & served with seasonal, roasted peaches.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Infusing Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4 People
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • 4 150ml Pudding Moulds
  • Baking Tray
  • Saucepans
  • Sieve
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Large Baking Dish

Ingredients

Burnt Honey & Almond Panna Cottas

  • 75 g Flaked Almonds
  • 400 g Double Cream
  • 200 g Whole Milk
  • ½ A Vanilla Pod (Or 1 Teaspoon Of Vanilla Paste)
  • 1½ tsp Almond Extract
  • 80 g Honey
  • A Pinch Of Sea Salt
  • 3 Sheets Of Gelatine (See Notes)

Roasted Peaches

  • 4 Peaches (See Notes)
  • 30 g Light Brown Sugar
  • 30 g Honey
  • A Pinch Of Sea Salt
  • A Few Sprigs Of Thyme

Instructions

Roasted Almond Panna Cottas

  • Preheat an oven to 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f).
  • Place the flaked almonds onto a baking tray then toast in the preheated oven for 4-6 minutes until golden brown. Give the tray a shake halfway through so that the nuts toast evenly.
  • Whilst your almonds are toasting, place the cream, milk & vanilla into a medium saucepan then set over a low heat & warm until steaming hot.
  • Next, stir the toasted nuts into the warm cream then take the pan off the heat & cover it with a lid. Set to one side & leave to infuse for 1 hour.
    I'd recommend roasting the peaches whilst the cream is infusing, as they're also cooked at 180°c/356°f.
  • Once the cream has been infused, set the pan back over a low heat & warm until steaming hot again. Pass the cream into a jug through a sieve then stir in the almond extract. Set this to one side for now.
  • Add the sheets of gelatine into a bowl of cold water & leave to soak.
    Adding the sheets of gelatine into the water one at a time helps them soak better.
  • Next, add the honey into a medium saucepan then set over a medium-high heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until it turns a deep golden brown (like caramel). Agitate the pan frequently so that the honey cooks evenly.
  • As soon at the honey is cooked, slowly pour in the almond cream whilst stirring. Once incorporated, take the pan off the heat & stir in a pinch of sea salt.
    Do this step carefully! The honey will bubble as you add in the cream.
  • Squeeze as much water as you can from the soaked gelatine then add to the cream & stir until dissolved. Pass through a sieve into a bowl (metal is best).
  • Next, fill a larger, separate bowl up with ice & water then place the bowl containing the cream into the bowl of water.
  • Stir the panna cotta mix regularly until it has cooled down & has started to thicken. This will take around 20 minutes.
    Allowing the panna cotta to cool like this holds the vanilla seeds in suspension, preventing them from sinking.
  • Transfer the panna cotta mix to a jug then pour into the moulds. Place in the fridge & leave to set. This will take a minimum of 4 hours.

Roasted Peaches

  • Cut each peach in half, remove the stones then cut each half in half again. You'll end up with 16 pieces.
  • Next, add the peaches into a baking dish then add in the sugar, honey, salt & thyme. Stir to combine then roast at 180°c/356°f for 15-20 minutes until the fruit is soft but still hold its' shape.
    Give the fruit a stir every 5 minutes or so!
  • Once cooked, let the peaches cool then transfer to a container & chill in the fridge until needed. You'll want the fruit & any syrup!

To Serve

  • Fill a medium sized bowl up with hot water.
  • Dunk a mould into the hot water then take it straight out.
    Don’t fully submerge the pudding mould, we don’t want to get the panna cotta wet.
  • Gently loosen the panna cotta’s top edge using your fingers then carefully turn out onto a plate/into a bowl. Repeat with the remaining panna cottas.
    If the panna cotta won’t come out, dunk the mould into the water a second time.
  • Spoon over the peaches & plenty of the syrup then serve.

Notes

1. To Cook On An Aga - Toast the almonds & roast the peaches in the baking oven, on the second from bottom set of runners. Use the simmering plate to warm the cream & the boiling plate to burn the honey.
2. Almond Extract - Adding almond extract to the panna cotta is optional but enhances the almond flavour. This is available in most supermarkets.
3. Gelatine - I use Dr Oetker platinum grade gelatine sheets but other brands will work as well.
4. Peaches - For roasting, it's best to use peaches that are just ripe. If they're too soft, they can get squished when you cut them into quarters. 
5. Storage - Both the panna cottas & roasted peaches need to be stored in the fridge & are best eaten within 3 days.
6. Cooling – Once the panna cotta mix has been made, it needs to be stirred regularly until cold before being poured into the moulds. This is how to stop the vanilla seeds from sinking.
7. Mould Size – This recipe makes 4 panna cottas using 150ml pudding moulds. You can use different size moulds to make more or less portions. Keep in mind that the setting time might vary.