Strawberry & Lavender Panna Cotta

Strawberry and lavender panna cotta is a taste of spring, a floral infusion from lavender buds and blushing pink strawberries.

Plant-based panna cottas are commonly made with plant milk. Panna cotta is a simple dessert, a softly set pudding that’s usually made with cream, sugar and gelatin. The earliest recipes from Piedmont, Northern Italy in Piedmont mention simmering the cream with fish bones, the collagen that would set the cream. The name panna cotta literally means cooked cream. This panna cotta’s fruity flavour comes from plant milk, a blended fruit and a floral infusion instead of cream and is set with agar agar, a jelly-like substance from algae that can be bought from most health food stores. The amount of agar agar should be carefully measured to avoid a rubbery texture from using even a little too much agar agar or a runny panna cotta from measuring too little.

Health benefits:

·       There are over 600 varieties of strawberries. The sweet, slightly tart berries rank among the top 10 fruits and vegetables for antioxidant content.

·       A Harvard study found that regular consumption flavonoids found in berries can reduce the risk of a heart attack by 32 percent in young and middle-aged women.

·       The antioxidants in strawberries have all been shown to reduce the formation of harmful blood clots associated with strokes. The powerful antioxidants in strawberries may work against free radicals, inhibiting tumor growth and decreasing inflammation in the body.

STRAWBERRY & LAVENDER PANNA COTTA

Makes 1 large bowl or 10 glasses

PB, V, RSF, DF

2 x 400ml tins full cream coconut milk

700g strawberries

½ cup date paste OR maple syrup, adjust to taste

1 vanilla bean, split with a knife and seeds scraped

6 lavender buds or 2 tsp dried lavender

2 flat tsp agar agar powder

Topping:

coconut yogurt

fresh strawberries

fresh lavender sprigs

Add the coconut milk, strawberries, maple syrup and vanilla bean seeds to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the strawberry milk and lavender into a saucepan and on medium heat, gently bring it to the boil. Stir in the agar agar and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour through a fine sieve into a large bowl or individual glasses and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Serve with cut fresh strawberries and a few sprigs of lavender on dollops of coconut yogurt.