Daniel Pfyl, hospitality management lecturer at Otago Polytechnic, shares some professional techniques to make your cooking easier. This month he shows us how to make low-sugar chocolate panacotta.
Low-sugar chocolate panacotta
Serve 4-6 (depending on size of serving dishes)
Ingredients
4 leaves of gelatin (or 2 tsp of gelatin powder disolved in some of the milk mixture)
250ml milk
500ml cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
8g Equal or steviapinch salt
80g of dark chocolate, 75% plus, chopped roughly
15g unsweetened cocoa powder
To serve
sprinkle of nut and seed cereal (optional), orange segments and mint
Method
1. Lightly spray ramekins or serving dishes (can be teacups or glasses) with cooking spray if planning to turn the panacotta out on to a plate; then use a paper towel to wipe inside of dishes leaving only light residue.
2. Soak gelatin leaves in cold water or bloom the gelatin powder if using.
3. Scald the milk and cream, then add chocolate, sweetener, vanilla and cocoa.
4. Strain milk mixture into bowl and chill over an ice bath, stirring every now and again.
5. Pour into ramekins or dishes. If unmoulding chill overnight or for at least four hours.
6. To unmould, half fill bowl with warm water and rest ramekin in the water. Wipe plate with damp paper towel as it lets you reposition panacotta more easily
7. Run a thin knife around the top of the ramekin to release top edge. Invert the ramekin over plate and shake gently or press lightly on one side. If it doesn't fall out easily return to warm water for two seconds, repeat until it comes out.
8. Serve garnished with nut and seed cereal, orange segments and mint leaves.
• If you would like to request a particular technique we haven't already shown, please let us know.
Write to Cooking 101, Editorial Features, Otago Daily Times, PO Box 181, Dunedin or email odt.features@odt.co.nz with cooking 101 in the subject line.
To check earlier Cooking 101 columns visit: www.odt.co.nz and search for ''cooking 101''. More information on cooking from Otago Polytechnic can be found on www.otagocookeryl4.blogspot.com
