Smoked Honey & Chamomile...Smoked Honey & Chamomile Panna Cotta with Blood Orange Gelee

An elegant, multi-textured dessert featuring velvety chamomile-infused panna cotta sweetened with smoked wildflower honey, topped with a vibrant blood orange gelee and a crispy bee pollen tuile.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Bloom 2.5 gelatin sheets in a bowl of ice-cold water for 5 to 10 minutes until softened.

2. 02

   In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, and dried chamomile. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, then immediately remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes.

3. 03

   Strain the warm cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a clean bowl, pressing gently on the chamomile to extract the oils. Whisk in the smoked honey until fully dissolved.

4. 04

   Squeeze the excess water from the 2.5 bloomed gelatin sheets. Whisk them into the warm chamomile cream until completely melted. Divide the mixture evenly among 4 elegant serving glasses and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.

5. 05

   While the panna cotta sets, prepare the gelee. Bloom the remaining 1 gelatin sheet in cold water. In a small saucepan, gently warm 50ml of the blood orange juice with the superfine sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, whisk in the squeezed gelatin sheet until melted, then stir in the remaining 150ml of cold blood orange juice.

6. 06

   Cool the blood orange mixture to room temperature. Once the panna cotta is firm to the touch, gently ladle the gelee over the set cream layer. Return the glasses to the refrigerator to chill for an additional 2 hours.

7. 07

   To make the tuiles, preheat your oven to 160°C (325°F). Whisk together the melted butter, powdered sugar, egg white, and all-purpose flour in a medium bowl until a smooth, glossy paste forms.

8. 08

   Using a stencil or offset spatula, spread the batter paper-thin onto a silicone baking mat in elegant leaf or abstract shapes. Sprinkle lightly with bee pollen.

9. 09

   Bake the tuiles for 6 to 8 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and, while still warm, carefully drape them over a rolling pin to cool and set into delicate curved shapes.

10. 10

    To serve, garnish each chilled glass with a curved bee pollen tuile resting on the rim, and optionally finish with fresh micro-mint or edible gold leaf.