Cooked Cream with Limoncello

Put the water in a small bowl

Sprinkle the gelatine over it and allow it to get spongy

Place the sugar and cream in a saucepan

Split open the vanilla pod and add to the pan

Heat slowly, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved, but do not allow to boil

Remove from the heat and stir in the prepared gelatine

Return to the heat and stir to dissolve the gelatine

Remove from the heat again and sieve the mixture into a bowl

Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into the cream

Allow to cool, then divide the mixture between 4 ramekins

Cover with cling film and chill overnight to set

To serve, slide a sharp knife around the inside edge of each ramekin, put a plate over the top and tip it upside down to unmould it

Serve with a sprinkling of lemon zest and a generous splash of Limoncello

Or you could try…

Complementing the panna cotta with various syrups and liqueurs

Here are some ideas

Sugar syrup: Place 125 g sugar and 190 ml of cold water in one saucepan, and put another 125 g sugar and 60 ml cold water in another saucepan

Stir both saucepans over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved

Bring the larger quantity to the boil and allow to boil vigorously for about 2 minutes

Do not stir while it is boiling

Allow the second saucepan to come to the boil and remove it from the heat as soon as it starts to brown

Very carefully pour the larger amount into the smaller one

Place over a low heat and stir gently until the sticky toffee on the bottom melts

Pour into a jug and use as required

It keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days

Marmalade syrup: Blanch the rind and juice of 1 Seville orange in boiling water for 5 minutes to get rid of some of the bitterness

Place in a saucepan with the orange juice and 4 teaspoons sugar and heat to a simmer, stirring constantly, until it becomes a light jam