Something sweet for Valentine’s Day, from Sweet Greek’s Kathy Tsaples

Panna Cotta me Meli ke Masticha
(Yoghurt Panna Cotta with Masticha Chios and Honey)

What better way to let someone know you care this Valentine’s Day than with Kathy Tsaples’ heavenly Panna Cotta? This is our second recipe from Sweet Greek’s Kathy Tsaples, and it’s 100% guaranteed to impress. We promise.

Prep 45 minutes, plus overnight – Serves 6–10

 

Ingredients:

Panna cotta

4 gold-strength gelatine leaves

3 pellets masticha chios, available from Sweet Greek

1 tsp sugar

150ml milk

1L pouring cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

250ml caster sugar

200ml thick, full-fat Greek yoghurt

Garnish

150g fresh beeswax honeycomb, cut into three chunks

2 tbsp good-quality honey (I recommend the Greek brand Attiki)

Dried rose petals

Slivered pistachios

Tips:

Start this recipe a day ahead.

You will need a 
round cake mould, approximately
 23 centimetres in diameter. You will also need a fine strainer and a piece of muslin.

 

Method:

Place the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water to soak while you make the panna cotta.

To make the panna cotta, grind the masticha chios to a powder in a mortar and pestle with 1 teaspoon of sugar, and set aside. Bring the milk, cream and vanilla to a simmer over medium heat. When small bubbles appear, remove from the heat and add the caster sugar and ground masticha chios.

Stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Squeeze all the water out of the gelatine leaves and add to the cream mixture. Stir to ensure the gelatine has fully dissolved. Cool the mixture to room temperature in an ice bath.
To make the ice bath, put water and ice in the kitchen sink, enough to come halfway up the side of the saucepan. Stir to cool as quickly as possible.

Place the yoghurt in a small bowl. Mix in enough of the cream mixture to loosen the yoghurt, and stir until completely smooth. Pour this yoghurt mixture into the cream mixture, stirring well to fully incorporate.

Pour the mixture through a fine strainer and into the cake mould. Allow it to set in the fridge overnight.

When ready to serve, the panna cotta should be fully set, with a slight wobble. Carefully loosen the edge of the mould with your fingers or run a pallet knife around the edge. Place a serving plate on top and flip over to invert the panna cotta onto the plate.

Pile the honeycomb up in the centre of the panna cotta. Sprinkle the rose petals and slivered pistachios around the edges, and drizzle the honey over the top using a fork.

About Kathy Tsaples


Kathy Tsaples
grew up in Richmond, Melbourne, the daughter of Greek parents, and cites her favourite childhood memories as the ones formed at the family dinner table. She’s the owner of Sweet Greek – a Melbourne store selling delicious Greek cakes, pastries, pies, and ingredients. But there’s more to Sweet Greek than just the food. It’s become a community of its own, based around a mutual love of Greek cuisine.

Kathy will be contributing some of her favourite recipes to the Peter’s Blog all this year. We can’t wait to see what she’s got in store for us next month! If you missed it, click or tap here to check out Kathy’s recipe for delicious Greek-style Lamb Cutlets we posted in January – they’re ideal for Australia Day or any day, really.

Kathy’s also the author of two cookbooks – Sweet Greek, and her latest, Sweet Greek Life. They’re both available from Peter’s. Click or tap here to take a closer look.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *