Rhubarb Panna Cotta

Today’s post is about more than just Rhubarb Panna Cotta – it’s kind of a big deal. Today, April 27th, is the blog’s birthday. Four years ago today, when I was sitting home alone trying to avoid studying, I decided to set up this little blog. I sometimes still cringe over the name choice, and I definitely cringe when I look back over some of my early posts, but I wouldn’t change a thing! Creating Passionate Baker and making the effort to actually keep it updated has been one of the best things I’ve ever done. And here we are, going strong! 4 years later!

four years later..

Ever since I created Passionate Baker, I’ve been obsessed with every single element of making the blog happen. Of course, sometimes the pressure of thinking up delicious recipes and trying to take pretty photos can be a lot. Not to mention writing an entertaining post, changing every detail about said post and recipe until it works, but that’s okay. That’s all part of owning a food blog, and that’s when I step back & make ice. It happens.

There’s no denying that Passionate Baker, & everything that goes hand in hand with it, has entirely taken over my entire brain. Like, it’s bad. I often feel like I’m a proud mother – always talking about different ways to decorate cakes, my newest props, and my love of cake tins. That’s similar to being a proud mother, right? I’m a proud food blog mom.

rhubarb panna cotta

I’m sure you can imagine what I was like when I remember the blog birthday was nearing. That was about 4 months ago, & I’ve been talking what to make for it pretty much non-stop all the way up to last week. I thought about making a crepe cake, a birthday cake or maybe a mousse. Eventually, I landed on panna cotta. Rhubarb was chosen because it juussttt came into season, as well as for aesthetic reasons. Also, I’ve never seen a recipe for any rhubarb flavoured panna cotta before, like, anywhere. The internet is filled with recipes for vanilla panna cotta served with strewed rhubarb, but not the real deal.

My blog birthday fate was sealed. Rhubarb Panna Cotta, topped with strawberry compote. The rhubarb flavour is perfect in the panna cotta. It’s subtle enough that haters proclaimed their new-found love for those beautiful pink stalks, but not so subtle that lovers were disappointed. The strawberry compote draws the whole thing together, adding the extra sweetness rhubarb often needs. I’m totally in love with this recipe.

Here’s to another four years of Passionate Baker!

Rhubarb Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta, flavoured with seasonal rhubarb, and drizzled with a strawberry glaze.
Author: Vicki

INGREDIENTS

for the rhubarb

  • 340 g rhubarb, trimmed and cut to 5cm lengths
  • juice & zest of half a large orange
  • 3-4 tbsp honey – just enough to coat the rhubarb

for the panna cotta

  • 1 tbsp powdered gelatin
  • 2 cups double cream
  • 1 cup full fat milk
  • 6 tbsp caster sugar

for the topping

  • 2 cups strawberries, chopped
  • 4 tbsp caster sugar
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

  • Preheat the oven to 150C. Have your 6-8 serving glasses ready nearby.
  • First, we need to roast the rhubarb. On a large baking tray, combine the prepared rhubarb with the orange juice, zest and honey, & mix until all the rhubarb is thoroughly coated. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft & tender.
  • Remove from the oven & transfer to a tall measuring jug with a lip. Puree the rhubarb until completely smooth. Strain the rhubarb puree into a medium sized pot to ensure there are no strings left. Rinse out the measuring jug as you’ll need it again. Sprinkle the gelatin over the rhubarb puree & set aside for 5 minutes.
  • Set the pot over a medium-low heat & whisk gently until the gelatin has dissolved completely. Add in the cream, milk & sugar & whisk until the sugar has entirely dissolved & the mixture is thoroughly combined.
  • Strain the panna cotta mixture back into the large measuring jug. Finally, strain the mixture once more (to ensure absolute smoothness), pouring directly into the serving glasses. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
  • Shortly before unmoulding the panna cotta, make the strawberry compote. Combine the strawberries, the sugar, & the lemon juice in a small pot over a medium heat & stir. When the sugar has dissolved & the strawberries have broken down & there’s a syrupy sauce bubbling in the pot, remove from the heat & leave to cool.
  • To unmould the panna cotta run a hot knife along the inside of the glass to separate it from the panna cotta. I then sat my glasses in a cup of boiling water to loosen them up for about 10 seconds.. then I shook them over the plates I wanted to use until they came free & plopped on out. Some of them needed a helpful shove with the hot knife again, but we all need a push sometimes!
  • Serve the panna cotta chilled, with the strawberry compote drizzled over the top or on the side. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to know! Please leave a comment & a rating below, or tag me on Instagram @imvcki. Thank you so much for supporting Passionate Baker!

These are some pretty flowers my sister & I picked specifically for the blog birthday photos. Aren’t they gorgeous? I haven’t edited that photo even a little bit – they’re so vibrant!

other birthday blog posts:

Triple Chocolate Birthday Cake
Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting



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