White Chocolate Peppermint Panna Cotta

I love simple, elegant desserts and Panna Cotta is just that. Incredibly simple to make, and tastes wonderful!

I've made this panna cotta a little bit Christmasy by combining white chocolate and peppermint, a flavour combination that just screams Christmas to me!

This is a great dessert to think about for Christmas day. It's a little different to what you'd usually see on the Christmas table and of course it has to be made ahead to have time to chill so no fussing around in the kitchen while trying to enjoy the day.

I prefer to use gelatine leaves when making panna cotta as, for me, this always gives a smoother, silkier dessert. Gelatine powder is great for lots of things but not my preference here as if it's not incredibly well mixed you'll end up with little lumps!

If you don't care too much for white chocolate, but love the chocolate peppermint combination, try milk chocolate instead. You do want to make sure you use a good quality eating chocolate, especially when it comes to white chocolate, rather than a baking chocolate.

White Chocolate and Peppermint Panna Cotta

Serves 4

2 gelatine leaves (or 2 tsp gelatine powder)
1 Cup cream
1 Cup whole milk
30 g caster sugar
100 g white chocolate
 2 tsp peppermint essence

1. Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of water and set aside.

2. Place the cream, milk, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a very gentle simmer over a low heat. Once the mixture starts to simmer (just bubble around the edges), turn off the heat.

3. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Wring any excess water from the gelatine leaves and add the gelatine and the peppermint essence. Stir until smooth.

4. Divide the mixture evenly between 4 greased dariole molds or ramekins and chill for at least four hours before serving.

Hint: The easiest way to demold the Panna Cotta is to allow them to sit on the bench for a few minutes, then run a thin knife around the outside.