I’m a panna cotta girl, I often find crème brulee a little rich, and while I am always happy with a bowl of ice-cream to finish a meal, sometimes an occasion calls for something a little more sophisticated. A couple of months back, we had most of our board of directors, along with some of the exec team here in Dunedin, ostensibly for a meeting, but really so we could cook them an amazing diner.
We wanted to focus on serving local, seasonal produce. The inspiration for this recipe was Al Brown’s series ‘Get Fresh’ where he travels the length of our wee nation, cooking up treats with the best of each region’s produce along the way. Thyme grows wild through much of Central Otago and along with apricots (and Pinot!) are some of the region’s iconic flavours.
The slightly savoury notes from the thyme offset the sweetness of the honey, while the apricots end up almost jammy after being cooked in the wine and saffron syrup, a great tangy contrast to the creaminess of the panna cotta.