Mental Health & Heather Panna Cotta with Honeycomb
In Weardale there is this place the locals call “The Tops”
I can only imagine the reason it got this name was because, well, it can feel like the top of the world.
To the rest of the world, this stunning place is the North Pennines.
With this on my doorstep, it might come as a surprise that I’ve not spent more time up there.
It’s only over the last few months, since lockdown and since I’ve got to grips a little more with my changing mental health, that myself and Mr G have found ourselves exploring some of the walks and paths up there.
I know I’m not the only one who has had a tough time with mental health issues over the last few months, and it does feel, to some extent, that people have been given “permission” to talk about it, “admit” to having a “problem” and ask for help with it.
What has The Tops have to do with mental health?
For me, taking time to wander some of the paths and hills has given me more of a chance, and emotional space to find ways of brightening my mind.
Instead of driving through this beautiful place, finding somewhere to stop and wander for an hour or two, let the wind blow some of those flat feelings away, has become must at least once a week.
The added bonus, is that I get to forage for things to use in my cooking. Ingredients that I probably wouldn’t have used before, such as the heather for this recipe.
Go on, give it a go and tell me how it turns out.
Enjoy Your Sweet Life
Creamy & sweet
What You Need
Panna Cotta
300ml double cream
200ml milk
60g castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Bunch of heather flowers – washed and dried
2 gelatine leaves, softened in cold water.
Let the heather sit in the warm liquid
Honeycomb
200g castor sugar
5 tbsp golden syrup
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Butter for greasing
Straining all the heather out of the cream mixture.
How It’s Done
Honeycomb
Butter a dish
Add the sugar and golden syrup into a deep heavy bottomed saucepan and mix.
Heat gently, until the mixture has melted. - See Tip Box
Once it’s all melted, turn up the heat and simmer until the mixture turns a rich amber colour – See Tip Box
Acting very quickly, turn the heat off and add the bicarbonate of soda.
Beat in the bicarbonate until it has all disappeared and the mixture is foaming - See Tip Box
Scrape the honeycomb into the prepared dish and leave to cool for at least 1 ½ hours – See Tip Box
When hard and cold, break into shards. Use some to decorate the top of the panna cotta.
Crunchy and sweet
Panna Cotta
Add the cream, milk sugar, vanilla & prepared heather into a medium saucepan.
Warm the mixture very gently – See Tip Box
Turn the heat off and let the mixture stand for 10-30 minutes – See Tip Box
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug to get rid of all the heather.
Return the mixture to the same saucepan.
Add the gelatine.
Heat the mixture, stirring until warm and the gelatine is dissolved.
Once again pour the mixture through the fine sieve to catch any leftover gelatine lumps.
Pour the warm panna cotta into serving dishes and place into the fridge until set and cool.
To serve, decorate with the honeycomb.
Which one first?
Tip Box
Honeycomb – a) When heating the mix try not to let the mixture bubble until the sugar granules have disappeared.
b) It only takes a few minutes to turn a rich amber colour, so don’t take your eye off it.
c) The honeycomb is extremely hot so be careful when mixing and transferring to the dish.
d) Use the panna cotta in lots of other things. Add to ice cream
Panna Cotta – a) Be careful not to let the mixture boil
b) How long you let the heather sit in the cream mixture will determine how strong the flavour is in the panna cotta. – Taste, taste, taste.
Enjoy
