Vanilla Panna Cotta with Ginger Brittle and Pear and Ginger Compote

I was reading the Guardian and saw Felicity Cloakes article on panna cotta, so I thought I'd make my own. The basic formula for panna cotta is 3 gelatine leaves to 1 1/4 & 1/3 cups or 500 ml of liquid to which you can flavor with pretty much anything. I use gelatine leaves because they're so much easier than the powdered form. All you have to do is soak them for 2 minutes and then they're ready to dissolve. I also had a fridge brimming with pairs (think bottom 2 shelves) and panna cotta with pear compote was born. I've added the brittle for crunch but you can't taste the almonds, just the ginger and caramel - which is the idea. If you have compote left it freezes well and its also good on muesli and yoghurt.

For the panna cotta:
1/3 & 1/4 cups or 200 ml cream
1 1/4 cups or 300 ml milk
3 gelatine leaves
1 vanilla pod

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the ginger brittle:
50g or 1/4 cup caster sugar

30g or 1/4 cup ground almonds
1/2 tsp ground ginger

For the pear compote:
5 pears

 1/4 cup or 50g chopped crystallized ginger

1. Soak the gelatine leaves in water and set aside. Put the cream and milk in a saucepan with the vanilla seeds and the pod and heat until hand-hot then stir in the gelatine leaves (discarding the water) until dissolved. Leave to cool while the vanilla infuses. Once cool, strain  the milk mixture into a jug and fill 4 molds. Chill in the fridge for 5 hours or until set.

2. Peel, core and halve the pears then scatter them with the ginger. Roast them in the oven - as hot as you can get it - in a roasting tin covered in foil until the pears are tender and the tray is covered in their sweet sticky juice. Keeping the stem ginger in, mash them with a potato mash or if you like it smooth remove half the ginger and blend in a food processor.

3. For the ginger brittle put the sugar into a pan until it caramelizes and goes golden brown, now stir in the almonds and ground ginger and pour onto and greased baking tray to cool. Once cool, place in a plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin until they're in smallish crumbs.

4. Plate up by unmoulding the panna cottas and upturning them on a plate. Spoon on the compote and finally sprinkle on the brittle.

Salted Hazelnut Praline Gelato

Okay, hazelnuts are not in season yet but who doesn't like a good gelato recipe? The intensity of the praline all comes down to how you toast those hazelnuts. A little to much and they burn, not enough and you won't have unleashed they're full nuttiness. Also this recipe is exceedingly rich so a little goes a long, long way with this. You don't have to add the salt but it cuts the richness and goes lovely with the caramel. Even without it though it tastes wonderful. Oh, and you don't need an ice cream maker for this or need to spend hours manually forking it through!

Serves 6-7

2 eggs separated

1/4 cup or 50g of caster sugar

1/2 & 1/3  cups or 200 ml of heavy / double cream

1/3 & 1/4 cup or 100g brown sugar

1 & 1/3 cups or 200g of chopped hazelnuts

1/2 tsp of maldon or other sea salt (optional)

1. Roast the hazelnuts in a dry a pan until you can hear them sizzling and smell nutty and rich. Pour them out of the pan into a bowl while you make the caramel. Put the brown sugar in the same pan and heat until it's liquid and bubbling. Throw in the hazelnuts and stir them in the caramel until they're evenly coated then place on some foil to cool.

2. Once cool, place the hazelnuts in a plastic zip-lock bag an cover in a tea towel and hit with a rolling pin until broken up into smallish pieces. Put the praline into a food processor and pulse-cop until it turns into a paste. Sprinkle in the salt (if using) and pulse-chop again to incorporate.

3. Whisk the egg whites until stiff then slowly add the sugar, whisking in well after each addition. Whip the cream until at soft peaks then fold into the egg whites along with the egg yolks. Ripple in the praline and freeze overnight.