Toasted barley may not be a flavour typically associated with desserts but here Roberta Hall-McCarron uses it to flavour a panna cotta, which is garnished with an assortment of summer berries and buckwheat. She also uses a touch of vinegar to balance out the sweetness. If you don’t have moulds, you can also make and serve the panna cotta in glasses or bowls.
For the panna cotta, add the barley to a dry frying pan and toast over medium heat until golden brown. It needs to be heavily toasted but not burnt, so keep an eye on it and move it regularly. Transfer to a bowl to cool
Add the cream, milk and sugar to a pan with the cooled barley. Heat the mixture but don’t let it boil, and infuse the barley for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bloom the gelatin in cold water
Strain the cream mixture through a sieve. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the gelatin, and add it into the warm cream mixture. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved, then pour the panna cotta mixture into the moulds. They should each hold about 90g of mixture
Place the panna cotta into the fridge to set for 3 hours
For the berry soup, mix the frozen berries and sugar together in a heatproof bowl and set aside, covered
Bring a pan of water to the boil, then turn the heat down
to low. Place the berries over the pan and cook for 2 hours. All the juices should come out of the berries as the fruit steams. Check the water level in the pan regularly, topping up with boiling water as needed
After 2 hours, strain the berry juice through a sieve, and transfer to a container. Chill until cold
To serve, toast the buckwheat over a low heat in a dry pan, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Set aside
Mix the fresh fruit with a few spoonfuls of the berry soup, and a small dash of white balsamic – just enough to balance out the sweetness
To remove the panna cotta from the mould, gently dip it into warm water for a few seconds then place the plate you are going to serve the panna cotta on top of the mould. Flip it over, then remove the mould. If the panna cotta gets stuck, just dip the mould in warm water again
Dress the panna cotta with the berries on one side, and sprinkle the buckwheat over the berry soup-soaked fresh fruit. Garnish with oxalis and bee pollen
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