Lockdown cookup: A delicate balance of lychee, raspberry and rose in Tony Fleming's buttermilk panna cotta

This year has many of us stumbling through several sets of semi-lockdowns and never-ending changes to our plans.

Aside from the regular food deliveries and takeaways, we think it wise to also indulge in some sweet treats for the sake of your sanity.

Find your footing again with the harmonious balance of rose, lychee, and rosemary in Tony Fleming’s buttermilk panna cotta.

A true believer in pleasurable eating experiences, Tony’s uncluttered style of cooking results in dishes that are not over-garnished but holds powerful flavors all the same.

So, it’s no surprise that his clever but comforting buttermilk panna cotta serves as the perfect example of his philosophies.

Ingredients

Buttermilk and rosemary panna cotta

300g of buttermilk

125g of sugar

One vanilla pod (seeds scraped)

8g of rosemary

200g of whipping cream

Two gelatine leaves, soaked

Juice from 1/4 lemon

Lychee granita

500g of lychee purée

500g of sparkling water

100g of sugar

Raspberry and rose iced tea

1kg of frozen raspberries

200g of sugar

100g of water

15g of lemon juice

1g of rose essence, to every 400ml of raspberry stock produced

Method

1. For the lychee granita, heat up 100g of the sparkling water with 100g of sugar to dissolve.
2. Add 500g of the lychee purée and the remaining 400g of sparkling water.
3. Pass it into a shallow tray and freeze. Once frozen, scrape with a fork and reserve it in the freezer.
4. For the panna cotta, bring 25g of sugar, the vanilla pod with its seeds scraped, 8g of rosemary, and 50g of whipping cream to a boil.
5. Add two soaked gelatine leaves, stir to dissolve them, and pass it into a container set over a bowl of ice to chill.
6. Add 300g of buttermilk, juice from 1/4 of a lemon, and 100g of the whipping cream into the mixture. Pour it into dariole moulds and transfer to the fridge to set for at least two hours.
7. For the iced tea, bring 200g of sugar and 100g of water to a boil. Add 1kg of raspberries to the liquid and transfer it over to a heatproof bowl.
8. Add 15g of lemon juice, cover it with a cling film, and heat it over a bain-marie of simmering water for about one hour until all the juice has come out of the raspberries.
9. Transfer to a muslin bag set over a jug to catch the liquid that seeps through. Once cool, add 1g of rose essence to every 400ml raspberry stock produced and reserve it in the fridge.
10. To plate, loosen the panna cotta by gently running the moulds under warm water. Carefully tip it onto a plate, place a rose petal on top, and spoon some granita around the sides. Serve the tea on the side in a teapot filled with rose petals.

ALSO READ: I try making famed French pastry chef Pierre Herme's chocolate cake and the results are pretty impressive

This article was first published in City Nomads.