Rosemary panna cotta with blood plum granita

• serves

  4-6

• cook

  2 hours

Ingredients

Rosemary panna cotta

2 gelatine sheets

140ml milk

1 heaped tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar

½ rosemary sprig, leaves picked and chopped, plus extra to serve

140ml pouring (whipping) cream (35 percent fat)

Blood plum granita

500g ripe blood or red plums, seeded and chopped with skin on

juice of ½ lemon

100ml sugar syrup

Crème fraîche and plum sorbet

4 ripe blood or red plums, seeded and chopped with skin on

125ml sugar syrup

juice of ½ lemon

3 tablespoons liquid glucose

125ml crème fraîche

5 teaspoons chantilly cream

5 rolled wafers, to serve

Instructions

First make the panna cotta. Soak the gelatine in a small bowl of iced water until soft. Remove from the bowl and squeeze gently to drain any excess water.

Warm the milk, sugar and rosemary in a small saucepan over low heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Take the pan off the heat, cover with a lid and leave to sit for 15–20 minutes to allow the rosemary to infuse.

Return the pan to the heat and re-warm the milk. Add the drained gelatine and stir to dissolve. Place the cream in a mixing bowl and strain the milk mixture through a very fine stainless steel sieve onto the cream. Stir gently with a wooden spoon. Pour into five ramekins or small glasses (there should be about 3 tablespoons of panna cotta in each glass) and leave in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

To make the granita, purée the plums and lemon juice in a blender until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh stainless-steel sieve, then add the sugar syrup and 100ml of water and mix together thoroughly. Pour into a shallow dish, cover and place in the freezer for 1 hour. Using a fork, scrape the frozen granita from the edge of the container into the liquid centre, then return to the freezer. Repeat another three times until the granita looks like crushed ice. Return to the freezer until ready to use.

Meanwhile, to make the sorbet, purée the plums, sugar syrup, lemon juice and glucose in a blender until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh stainless-steel sieve into a large bowl, then whisk in the crème fraîche and refrigerate until cold. Pour into an ice-cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container, cover and freeze for 2 hours, or until firm.

To serve, place a few teaspoons of granita into the glasses of panna cotta and top with a heaped teaspoon of chantilly cream. Place 3 heaped teaspoons of granita over the cream. Use a teaspoon dipped in hot water to place a quenelle of sorbet on top of the granita. Garnish with a rosemary leaf and serve with a rolled wafer.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.