Grapefruit-Honeybell Panna Cotta

 

Recipes (PDF) adapted from Michael Laiskonis

Notes: We brought back another case of Honeybells and red grapefruits from a recent trip to Florida. Combine that with two huge containers of plain yogurt from Costco and I got the idea to make a panna cotta dessert. I searched around for a grapefruit panna cotta, and the one that I liked best was this recipe from Laiskonis. Note that he is a pastry chef at Le Bernardin so his recipes tend to be elaborate and unusual. I took two components from the linked recipe and ended up doing the following:

Citrus Panna Cotta

• 350g 18% cream
• 100g sugar
• zest of one Honeybell and one grapefruit
• 4 sheets gelatin
• 240 g plain yogurt

Grapefruit-Honeybell Gelee

• 1 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit and Honeybell juice
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1½ sheets gelatin

First, the good: the zest really infused the panna cotta with citrus flavours, and the gelee also cried citrus and was a refreshing contrast in terms of texture and acidity. The bad though? The panna cotta was set much too firmly, and the gelee didn't set at all. Gelatin leaves come in different strengths (Bloom number) and sizes, so it's difficult to translate the quantities in recipes.