Panna Cotta & Failed Florentines - A Daring Bakers' challenge

I have been reading and marvelling at Daring Bakers' challenges for ages now, wondering if I had the skill to join the ranks. Well last month I decided to just go for it as it was a new thing and would also make me try things I normally wouldn't and would hopefully make me better at baking.

When I found out that this months challenge was Panna Cotta and Florentines, I was really happy that they weren't something way out of my league and also that it was two things I loved!

Whilst I was in Venice I had seriously the best ever Panna Cotta, it had just the right amount of jiggle and was so good it was served on its own. I was also lucky enough to try traditional Venetian Florentines which were really tasty but more than one was kind of sickly.

I chose to adapt my panna cotta from the recipe slightly, by adding some rose water to give it a light summery taste ( I know its not summer yet!) and not making as much as Mallory had set us to (believe me if I made 6 I would have eaten 6!). I also tried the Nestle Florentine cookies, and unfortunately they were a bit of a disaster...So I tried to make some more traditional ones which didn't quite come out how they should...

I haven't included the recipe for the Florentines (you can find the recipe here though) as I'm not happy with them at all, I'm really not sure what happened with them! But hopefully I will find one that works and will post it!

Overall I found the florentines the hardest bit to make even though I thought they'd be really easy! The panna cotta however came out a dream, which I served with a blueberry compote.

The February 2011 Daring Bakers' challenge was set by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giade De Laurentis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

Panna Cotta

Ingredient

100ml semi-skimmed milk

1 1/2 packets (approx 2oz) powdered gelatin

400ml double cream

75g vanilla sugar (granulated sugar is fine too)

2 vanilla pods

Method

1. Pour the milk into a pan and sprinkle the gelatin over the top, leaving for a few minutes to soften the gelatin.

2. Pour the cream into the saucepan and put over a medium heat, being careful not to let it boil. Add the sugar and rose water. Cut open your vanilla pods and scrape the seeds out with the back of a knife, add the seeds to the milk/cream. Keep it on the heat for about another 5 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.

3. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Pour into moulds or ramekins and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients

100g blueberries

100g vanilla sugar

Method

1. Put the blueberries and sugar in a pan and let simmer over a low heat for 25 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the whole mixture is thick and syrupy.

2. Assemble with the panna cotta either on top or on the side and serve.

My little sister chose to enjoy hers in the cup