Turkish Delight Panna Cotta with Pistachio Ice Cream

I have a bit of a 'thing' for panna cotta. Not so much a desire to eat one when I see it on the menu (that would be a creme brulee), but more to make the perfect one. Knowing this, a friend sent me a recipe she had seen in her local newspaper. A reader's request for the panna cotta at the Azafran restaurant was printed, and knowing my desire to create perfection she sent it on to me.

Turkish Delight Panna Cotta

The recipe for the panna cotta was followed to the letter. Even ringing the restaurant and talking to the chef via his wife (he had a sore throat) to check on some details.

Turkish delight melting into the cream

Azafran's Turkish Delight Panna Cotta
Serves 6
300ml thickened cream
1/2tsp vanilla bean paste
160gm rose Turkish Delight
30gm caster sugar
40ml milk
2 sheets titanium strength gelatine
15ml rose water
300ml cream whipped to soft peaks

Put the 300ml cream, vanilla paste, sugar, turkish delight and rose water in a stainless steel pot.
Over a medium/low heat whisk mixture to help it break down.
Soak gelatine sheets in water and set aside.
Once all the turkish delight has dissolved into the cream mix and it has just come to the boil, remove from heat and whisk in gelatine and milk.
Allow to cool at room temp (do not let mix go cold as it will set).
Pass the mixture through a fine strainer to remove any lumps.
Fold mix through the whipped cream. Place into 120ml dariole moulds or similar and set in the fridge for minimum four hours.
Just before serving, dip the mould into hot water for about four seconds but take care not to get the panna cotta wet. Run a small knife around the edge and turn the panna cotta out on to the plate.
Serve with pistachio ice cream, crushed pistachios and saffron fairy floss (available at good delis).

The above recipe was printed in a Brisbane newspaper but I have made a slight change, I soaked the gelatine in water and added it to the cream mixture with the milk.

The finished dessert was very rich with the sweet and subtle hint of roses. Of course I had to play around with it, and with apologies to the Azafran chef, here is my version.

I took what was left of the panna cottas out of their moulds and gently melted half of them and added a few drops of red food colouring. I then whipped in the remaining panna cotta and poured it into two glasses. Once this had set, I topped it with some pistachio praline and the pistachio ice cream, finishing off with saffron fairy floss and a shard of pistachio toffee.

Pistachio Ice Cream

500ml pure cream
40g (1/4 cup) pistachio kernels, coarsely chopped
4 egg yolks
155g (3/4 cups) caster sugar
2-3 drops green liquid food colouring

Combine the cream and the pistachios in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Remove from heat.
Use an electric beater to whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar in a heatproof bowl until thick and pale.
Gradually stir the cream mixture into the egg mixture.
Transfer to a clean saucepan and place over low heat.
Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 10 minutes or until custard coats the back of the spoon.
Set aside for 1 hour to develop the flavours.
Add the food colouring and stir until combined.
Churn in an ice cream churn as per manufacturer’s instructions.

Azafran Restaurant

97 Ekibin Rd

Annerley

(07) 3892 1776

Lentil Lasagne

Many, many years ago I told my husband that we needed to eat less meat and more 'beans and things'. Not really being very familiar with this style of cooking, I looked around for a recipe as I knew if I did it off the top of my head I would have no idea what I was doing and it wouldn't be edible. So appeared the Lentil Lasagne.

That night my husband arrived home from work and I told him what was for tea. I said all we had to do was try it and if we didn't like it I would put it in the bin and we could have pizza. So, in a household of confirmed carnivores, this is now our most favourite meal.

Lentil Lasagne

Fry an onion and garlic in a slosh of oil. Add a sprinkle of Italian herbs and a tin of drained rinsed brown lentils. Add a tin of crushed tomatoes and either a tin of tomato soup or some tomato paste and water. Let this simmer gently while you make the white sauce.

Layer the lentil sauce and the white sauce as you would a meat lasagne. Bake 180C for about an hour until bubbling around the sides. Rest about 15 mins and serve, or cool and freeze.

If you know some folks with lentil phobia, you can add some mince. This makes the lentils less noticable and makes a small amount of mince go a long way. I cook it at lunch time for an hour and then reheat at tea time. This helps the pasta absorb the sauce and lasagne cuts nicely, and you are less likely to have a sloppy mess.

I like to use an egg in the white sauce that is going on the top layer. The egg makes the top layer puff up and stay firm.

Just delicious, and even better reheated the next day.

Some Photos To Keep You Entertained.

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. For some reason or other the days are whizzing by and I can't keep up.
Here are some photos that won't have their own post, but are just nice to look at.

Proscuitto wrapped asparagus, barbequed, served with garlic and herb butter and parmesan.

The Poached Egg Competition. My husband made me Sunday breakfast, complete with a poached egg, in response to my near perfect egg the morning before.

My near on perfect poached egg.

At last, I thnk I have made a macaron. Given that I have never seen or tasted one in real life, this is as close as I will get. Yes, I know they look like a cheese burger. They are cinnamon macarons with a pumpkin and nutmeg cream cheese filling. They were good and didn't last long.

Some new oranges on the market. A cross between a blood orange and a navel. Sweet, juicy and pink. Compare to the navel with them.