Lemon Verbena Panna Cotta With Poached Peaches Recipes

PANNA COTTA WITH LEMON-THYME PEACHES

Steps:

• Make panna cotta:
• Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small heavy saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften. Stir in cream and 1/8 tsp salt, then heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring, until gelatin has dissolved.
• Whisk together yogurt, honey, and almond extract, then whisk in cream mixture.
• Pour mixture into 4 small bowls and chill, covered, until set, at least 8 hours.
• Prepare peaches:
• Mince lemon thyme with sugar, then toss with peaches. Let macerate, stirring occasionally, at room temperature 20 minutes. While peaches macerate, let panna cotta stand at room temperature.
• To serve:
• Top bowls of panna cotta with peaches and their juice. Drizzle with additional honey if desired.

LEMON VERBENA PANNA COTTA

Steps:

• To make the sauce: Blanch the lemon verbena leaves in a quart of rapidly boiling water just until they wilt and turn bright green. Wring all the water out of the leaves and pile them in a blender with the corn syrup. Purée the mixture, let it stand at room temperature for several hours or overnight, then strain it. Discard the solids and chill the sauce in the refrigerator.
• To make the jelly: Soften the gelatin in the water in a small saucepan, then warm the mixture over low heat until the gelatin is dissolved. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice and verbena sauce and distribute the mixture evenly between six 4-ounce flexible molds or ramekins, and chill the molds until the jelly is set, about 30 minutes.
• To make the panna cotta: Stir the milk, cream and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the mixture comes to a gentle boil, then stir in the lemon verbena leaves and remove the pan from the stove. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, soften the gelatin in the cold buttermilk. When the lemon verbena mixture has cooled, strain the liquid and discard the leaves. Reheat the strained milk mixture with the buttermilk and gelatin until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Let the mixture cool to room temperature then distribute it evenly between the molds with the jelly.
• To serve: Dip each mold or ramekin in hot water and run a knife around the inside of the mold to loosen the panna cotta, turn the panna cotta out onto plates, jelly side up. Spoon about two tablespoons of Lemon Verbena Sauce around the base of each serving, then garnish with lemon verbena leaves.

LEMON VERBENA PANNA COTTA WITH POACHED PEACHES

Steps:

• Combine the cream, sugar, crème fraîche, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the lemon verbena, lightly crushing the leaves before adding them to the pot. Allow the mixture to steep for about 1 hour. Keep tasting as it steeps until it has the flavor you want.
• Meanwhile, pour the milk into a bowl. Add the gelatin and whisk until it dissolves. Add the egg and beat well.
• Once the cream mixture has steeped, rewarm it over low heat until it reaches a low simmer, then pour over the milk-gelatin mixture and whisk until completely combined. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof container with a pouring spout.
• Lightly grease 10 ramekins, plastic cups, or coffee cups and line them up on a baking sheet. Divide the mixture among the ramekins and put in the fridge. Chill until set, about 4 hours. Serve with Poached Peaches.
• Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil and prepare an ice-water bath in a bowl large enough to hold the peaches. When the water comes to a boil, scald the peaches for 30 seconds. Using a mesh sieve or slotted spoon, transfer the fruit immediately to the ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Using a paring knife, peel the peaches (the skins should now slip off easily) and put the peels in a saucepan. Slice the peaches into eighths and place in a heatproof bowl.
• Add the sugar, wine, vanilla, and nutmeg to the saucepan and set over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue cooking for 5 minutes longer. Pour the boiling mixture over the peaches and set the fruit aside to cool and macerate in the spiced wine. Serve with the panna cotta.