This dessert showcases the versatility of rhubarb, its acidity balanced by a silky, creamy cheese panna cotta. The recipe scales up quite easily if you want to make more for a crowd.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 on it¿s own or 8 as part of fourplay
Ingredients
For the Panna Cotta
To Serve
Preparation
For the Panna Cotta
Step 1
Line an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap.
Step 2
Pour a couple of tablespoons of the cream into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface. Let it sit for about 1 minute, then microwave for 45 seconds or heat gently in a saucepan until melted.
Step 3
Put the remaining cream, the sugar, and the vanilla pod and seeds in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the cream and gelatin and stir.
Step 4
Put the cheese in a heatproof bowl and pour in the hot cream. Emulsify with an immersion blender. Strain through a fine strainer.
Step 5
Pour the panna cotta mixture into the prepared pan and chill overnight.
To Serve
Step 6
Unmold the panna cotta. Slice into rectangles and use a spatula to transfer it to dessert plates. Garnish each with a few batons of rhubarb, a few blackberries (it looks nice when you cut the blackberries in half), and a shard or two of the crispy phyllo. Drizzle a few drops of the port poaching liquid on the plate.
make it simpler
Step 7
You could serve the panna cotta with the almond phyllo and just fresh berries, or pair it with the Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote (page 250). If you want, you could replace the almond phyllo with a thin, crisp store-bought cookie, but the phyllo is so easy to make.
