Strawberry and lavender panna cotta with olive oil shortbread recipe

Details

• Cuisine: Italian
• Recipe Type: Dessert
• Difficulty: Medium
• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 25 mins
• Serves: 6

Step-by-step

1. To make the shortbread, mix together the butter and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Add the flour, ground almonds, salt and baking powder.
3. Split the vanilla pod down the middle lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Add a quarter of the seeds to the mixture.
4. Mix until it starts to combine. Then slowly add the egg yolks and olive oil.
5. Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for 1–2 hours.
6. When ready to cook the shortbread, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).
7. Roll out the dough onto greaseproof paper until 1cm (½ in) thick. Carefully place onto a baking tray and cook in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut into fingers.
8. Return to the oven and cook for a further 5–10 minutes.
9. Dust lightly with caster sugar, then allow to cool for 5 minutes before gently transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. To make the panna cotta, soak the gelatine in 90ml (3fl oz) of water.
11. Put the cream, caster sugar and lavender into a heavy saucepan and gently bring to the boil over a medium heat.
12. Add the gelatine water. Stir and then pass through a fine sieve into a jug.
13. Blend 250g (9oz) of strawberries in a liquidizer and add to the mix, blend well.
14. Cut the remaining strawberries in half, mix with some black pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and a dusting of icing sugar.
15. Place a spoonful of strawberries in the bottom of each glass. Pour over the panna cotta mix dividing evenly between the glasses.
16. Place in the fridge for 1 hour until set.
17. Serve with a couple of fingers of shortbread.