panna cotta with honeydew melon

milk panna cotta with fresh honeydew and a vanilla honey syrup. November 2023

technically not panna cotta, as it’s made without cream, but this is a lovely, light summery dessert

use any fresh fruit you like, but I love honeydew melons and think they deserve more attention

the vanilla honey syrup could be replaced with a splash of orange blossom water

serves 4-8 (depending how large the meal beforehand is!)

ingredients

panna cotta

500mL milk, separated

2 tsp gelatine powder

45g caster sugar

assembly

half a ripe honeydew melon

2 tsp honey

0.5 tsp vanilla paste

2 tsp water

method

panna cotta

place half (250mL) the milk in a small saucepan, and the other half (250mL) in a lined tin or mould

sprinkle the gelatine powder (2 tsp) into the saucepan and leave to bloom for 5 minutes

heat gently over low heat until the gelatine powder has dissolved

add the caster sugar (45g) and stir until the sugar has dissolved fully

pour the warm milk mixture into the tin, mixing with the cold milk

transfer to the fridge to set for at least 4 hours

assembly

chop the honeydew melon into small chunks

add the honey (2 tsp), vanilla (0.5 tsp), and water (2 tsp) to a small bowl and microwave for about 20 seconds or until the honey has dissolved

turn out the panna cotta onto a serving plate and top with some of the melon and vanilla-honey syrup

serve in slices, alongside the rest of the melon

be gentle when transferring slices for serving, as the panna cotta is just barely set.

if you like a sturdier texture, increase the gelatine to 2.5 tsp