Funky blue cheese panna cotta for dessert

Major excitement. A bit of 'squee!' action.

All because of 3-4 little words:
Blue. Cheese. Panna.cotta.

(is panna cotta 2 words or only 1?)

Yes, there was a spot of OMG! going on when I saw this recipe on the taste.com.au website. It contains my recently discovered love of panna cotta and my "I'm not quite sure but I could grow to love you" feelings for smelly blue cheese. 

So, this is a strange combination of savoury cheese and the traditional dessert ingredients of cream, vanilla and sugar. The result is ... unusual. I still can't decide if I really like it or not, as it's quite a rich dish, even in the small dariole mould sizes that I used. The blue cheese can be quite burny on the tongue, and you definitely get that effect with this panna cotta, although the vanilla teamed with sugar takes a bit of the edge off.

Please give this a go anyway, and decide for yourself. I will probably make it again, just to be sure.

Blue cheese panna cotta

serves 4

Ingredients

olive oil, to grease

250ml (1 cup) milk
250ml (1 cup) thin cream
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split
40g blue-vein cheese, finely chopped
1 tbs boiling water
1 1/2 tsp powdered gelatine
1/2 crisp green apple, or ripe pear, to serve


Method
1. Brush 4 125ml (1/2 cup) capacity metal or plastic dariole moulds with oil to lightly grease. Place on a tray.
2.Combine milk, cream, sugar and vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
3. Add blue cheese and stir until cheese melts. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a large heatproof glass bowl.
4. Place water in a small heatproof bowl. Sprinkle with gelatine and whisk with a fork to remove any lumps. Set aside for 3 minutes or until gelatine dissolves and mixture is clear.
5. Gradually whisk the gelatine into the cream mixture until well combined. Ladle mixture equally among prepared moulds. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 6 hours to set.
6.Dip moulds, 1 at a time, into hot water for 1-2 seconds, then turn onto serving plates. Serve with fruit slices.

recipe adapted from taste.com.au

Ingredients, including cream, milk, blue cheese and vanilla bean.

The milk, cream, vanilla and sugar are first heated, then the cheese is added and stirred into the hot liquid. It is then sieved to remove the lumps and grey veiny bits.

Add gelatine and pour into moulds. (yes, I only have 2 proper dariole moulds!)

After the panna cottas are set (about 6 hours), unmould onto a plate.

The funky cheese aroma is very mild (until you eat it)

Nice specks of vanilla on the base/top of the panna cotta.

Oh stuff it, this looks too good. I'm gonna make it again this weekend!