Mustard panna cotta with heritage beetroot and goat’s cheese crumble

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Nigel Mendham presents a variant on the classic Italian panna cotta, sharing his mustard panna cotta recipe - which can be served as a starter. Beetroot and goat's cheese are great partners and are well complemented by the acidity of the mustard.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Panna cotta

Goat's cheese crumble

Heritage beetroot salad

Beetroot pickle

  • 1 large beetroot, golden or purple
  • 200ml of white wine vinegar
  • 200g of caster sugar

Equipment

  • Mandoline
  • 4 panna cotta moulds

Method

1
First make the mustard panna cotta. Place the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for 3-4 minutes until softened. Whilst the gelatine is soaking, pour the soya milk and cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then immediately take the pan off the heat and leave to cool to room temperature
  • 1 1/2 gelatine leaves
  • 100ml of soya milk
  • 150ml of double cream
2
Take the gelatine leaves out of the water and squeeze out any excess liquid. Add the leaves to the soya and cream with the mustard, a pinch of salt and the lemon juice. Whisk until combined
3
Divide the mixture between 4 x 95ml panna cotta (or dariole) moulds, so that it comes 3/4 of the way up the sides. Place the panna cotta onto a tray and leave to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight
4
For the beetroot pickle, add the vinegar and sugar to a pan and bring to the boil, then immediately remove from the heat. Stir to ensure all of the sugar has dissolved, then leave the mixture to cool
  • 200ml of white wine vinegar
  • 200g of caster sugar
5
Wash the baby beetroot thoroughly and add to a deep saucepan with the thyme, salt and peppercorns. Cover with water and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for a further 15 minutes. The beetroot will be cooked when a knife slides easily through the centre. Once the beetroot are cooked, remove from the water and leave to cool
6
Once the beetroot are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and trim off any stem or root. Slice each beetroot into 8 evenly-sized wedges and sprinkle over a little oil and salt. For an even more refined finish, you can cut some of each colour into small cubes to further decorate the plate
7
Peel the large beetroot (golden or purple, whichever you prefer) and make fine shavings using a mandolin. Half an hour before serving, dress the beetroot with the pickling liquid
8
Preheat the oven to 170˚C/gas mark 3
9
For the goat's cheese crumble, mix the seeds and oats in a bowl, then spread out onto a baking tray. Place in the oven for 10-12 minutes until a nice golden-brown colour, then remove and allow to cool
10
Add the toasted seeds to a mixing bowl and stir in the thyme leaves. Break the goat's cheese into bite-size pieces and stir into the seed mix to coat
11
To serve, remove the panna cottas from the fridge and dip into a bowl of hot water for around 15 seconds to loosen, without allowing the water to come into contact with the panna cotta filling
12
Turn the panna cottas out onto plates and arrange the beetroot pickle and wedges alongside. Sprinkle with the goat's cheese crumble and some baby red chard leaves. Serve immediately
First published in 2015

Nigel Mendham has proved himself to be as adaptable as he is talented, prospering in restaurants all over Britain and winning great acclaim for his deftly classical cuisine.

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