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honey and yogurt panna cotta with gewürztraminer stewed apricots

 

For the longest time, I thought I didn’t like panna cotta.  I’d only ever had it in a restaurant, and it always jiggled unappetizingly and tasted kind of one-dimensionally blank.  Every time I saw it in a recipe book, I flipped the page.  And then one day, a photo got to me.  Call me shallow, but I like cookbooks with pictures.  I think it’s partly because for me food is such an aesthetic medium.   Taste is hard to translate into words (I struggle all the time), but somehow it comes through more easily in pictures.  Tastes I think, like photos, have colors, textures, and layers.  So one day, I turned the page in Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries and there it was:  yogurt panna cotta, creamy white and specked with tiny vanilla beans, served simply in a white ceramic bowl with blushing pink currants to the side.  I was sold.  First round, I made it just as the recipe prescribed and it was delicious – tangy, creamy, vanilla laden and just enough gelatin to hold its form.  Round two, I substituted the sugar for honey, left out the rose water, and served it alongside some gewürztraminer stewed apricots. The stewed apricots are easy to make, but for a simpler panna cotta, and one that's just as pretty, serve it with some ground pistachios and fresh berries.

For the Panna Cotta
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
1-2 vanilla pods, halved and seeds scraped out
¼ cup fragrant honey
1 ½ tsp gelatin
2/3 cup greek style yogurt

For the Stewed Apricots
1 vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped out
½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
½ cup gewürztraminer or other sweet wine like sauternes
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp honey
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of cloves
20 halved dried apricots, soaked overnight in boiling water
Finely ground unsalted shelled pistachios to serve

Makes 6 small or 4 larger panna cottas – serves 4 to 6.

Make the Panna Cotta
Brush 6 small ramekins (I used little brioche tins) very lightly with canola oil and set aside on a baking pan.  Combine the cream, milk, vanilla, and honey in a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer for 5 minutes.  Strain into a clean bowl and stir in the gelatin.  Fold in the yogurt and pour into the prepared ramekins.  Cover lightly with saran wrap and refrigerate until set 1-2 hours.

Make the Stewed Apricots
Combine all of the ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer for 10 minutes until the apricots are plump and the liquid is somewhat reduced.  Cool and keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

To Serve
Carefully tip the panna cottas into individual small dishes.  If they don’t loosen easily, warm the bottoms ever so slightly over the stove.  These panna cottas are not as firm as most - don't worry if they don't hold their shape perfectly, they more than make up for it with a lush-creamy (non-jello-y) texture. Spoon some apricots to the side of each panna cotta and drizzle the wine syrup around.  Top with the ground pistachios and serve immediately.    

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