Striped Rhubarb and Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

There is no sweeter way to celebrate forced rhubarb season than with these cuties. Creamy vanilla bean panna cotta balances out the tart bite of pink rhubarb jelly for the perfect not-too-sweet dessert.

This recipe makes 8 panna cottas. My molds hold 140ml each. Depending on the size of yours, you might need to tweak things a little.

Rhubarb layer:

• 5 stalks of forced rhubarb, sliced into 2-inch batons

• 1 ⅔ cups (400ml) water

• ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

• Pinch of salt

• 6 sheets of platinum gelatin

Panna cotta layer:

• 6 sheets of platinum gelatin

• 1 ¼ cup (296ml) whole milk

• ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar

• The scrapings from 1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (270ml) heavy cream

1. Lightly grease your molds. Place them on a flat tray you can easily slide in and out of your fridge.

2. Add the rhubarb, water, sugar and salt to a pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until the rhubarb softens, 3 minutes or so. Let sit for 10 minutes then strain over a bowl to capture all the liquid. Taste and add a little more sugar, if needed, but I like it pretty tart. The panna cotta will help balance things out as well! You want about 500ml liquid total.

3. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes until soft. Stir into the warm rhubarb liquid until fully dissolved.

4. Pour a thin layer into each mold and allow to set up in the fridge.

   My molds are smaller at the top and taper out at the bottom so the first few layers of rhubarb and panna cotta were around 10-11ml each and then the final layers were closer to 20ml. Use a scale for this.

   Here’s an approximate guide of my measurements:

• Layers 1 + 2 - 10-11ml

• Layers 3, 4, 5 + 6 - 15 ml

• Layers 7 + 8 - 20ml

  
  In total, I had 4 layers of each. The whole layering process took me about 2 hours. You might need to do a little math if your molds are a different shape and size.

5. While the first layer sets up, make the panna cotta. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for about 5 minutes.

6. Pour milk, sugar and vanilla into a medium saucepan and warm over low heat

7. Remove from the heat and whisk in the softened gelatin sheets. Once they have fully melted, stir in the cold cream. Pour into a heatproof bowl and allow to cool slightly.

8. Once the first rhubarb layer is firm enough, pour over a layer of the cooled panna cotta mixture and place molds back in the fridge

9. Repeat the layering of rhubarb and panna cotta until both are done. The mixtures might set up a bit as you go through this process (I stored the both in the fridge so they definitely firmed up). You can warm them slightly to melt them again. Just make sure they aren’t hot enough to melt the other layers before pouring them over top.

10. Cover loosely and let set overnight in the fridge

11. Unmold the finished panna cottas by dipping the molds quickly in hot water and then flipping onto a plate