Raspberry, yoghurt, and almond panna cotta

By Sam Dinsdale

Featured in Capital #80
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Summery, light, and full of festive cheer this dessert ticks all the right boxes.

Panna cotta

2 punnets of raspberries
1 lemon
2 tsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste
3 leaves of gelatine
400ml cream
100g caster sugar
400g Greek yoghurt
Pinch salt

1. Place the raspberries in a bowl with the juice and zest of half the lemon, icing sugar, and vanilla paste.
2. Stir well and spoon all over the base of the bowl that you are going to set the yoghurt panna cotta in. Refrigerate.
3. In a small bowl, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water.
4. In a pan, place the cream and caster sugar, and bring to barely a simmer.
5. Squeeze out the gelatine and dissolve into the hot cream. Whisk well.
6. Put the yoghurt in a mixing bowl and strain the cream into it. Whisk well together.
7. Pour the yoghurt mix over the raspberries and set in fridge for at least 4 hours.

Almond sable crumb

160g butter, room temperature
160g caster sugar
2 egg yolks
225g plain flour
15g baking powder
5g sea salt
100g whole blanched almonds, roasted
100g sugar
2 tbsp freeze-dried raspberries (optional)

8. In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until it starts to turn pale and fluffy.
9. Add the yolks and mix till combined.
10. Sift in the flour and baking powder, and mix until it just comes together.
11. Finish with the salt, mix one last time, and then take out of the mixer bowl.
12. Roll the pastry into a log, wrap, and freeze for at least 2 hours.
13. While the sable is freezing, lightly grease a sheet of baking paper.
14. Heat the sugar in a pan and cook until caramelised. Once it is light brown, add in the almonds, stir to coat and then turn out onto the baking paper. Leave to cool.
15. Once cool, chop or pulse in a food processor until a chunky dust is formed.
16. Preheat the oven to 170C. Place a fresh sheet of baking paper on a tray. Coarsely grate the sable onto the baking tray.
17. Bake until golden, about 10–12 mins. Remove from oven and cool.
18. Once cool, crumble in a bowl, add the almonds, and the freeze-dried raspberries if desired. Mix well and set aside.

To finish

1 cucumber
100g marinated pitted black olives

19. Liberally scatter the almond sable crumb over the yoghurt, then finely zest the rest of the lemon and sprinkle on top.