Head Chef at Borthwick Castle, Derek Johnstone's Vanilla Panna Cotta

All through spring, my kitchen phone rings from morning until night with calls from suppliers excited to tell me all about the amazing new produce they now have available. I really don’t blame them – Scotland’s natural larder is incredible, and it really comes into its own at this time of year. We have some of the most fantastic produce available right here on our doorsteps, and it’s time to make the most of it.

This week, I was presented with a beautiful box of fresh rhubarb, deep pink in colour and visually stunning. But what to do with it? Rhubarb is such a versatile ingredient which can be used in all kinds of dishes, both savoury and sweet – but I particularly enjoy using rhubarb in desserts. There’s a certain degree of nostalgia there, and I’m sure this all started when, as a wee boy, my mum used to give me a raw stick of rhubarb and a small pot of sugar to dip it into. Even now, that sour, sharp taste takes me right back to growing up in Erskine.

Today, I’d like to share with you a recipe for a simple panna cotta served with rhubarb in a variety of different ways. It’s a little time consuming to make, but it’s delicious and, in my opinion, that little extra time in the kitchen is well worth the effort.

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, why don’t you spend a couple of hours in the kitchen preparing a special dessert for the ladies who mean the most to you? This recipe was created with my mum in mind, and I hope your mum will enjoy it just as much.

For sweetening the sour, for introducing me to flavour combinations, and for everything else since - thank you, Mum.

Makes 10 portions

Ingredients

For the panna cotta:

6 leaves of gelatine

500ml full fat milk

500ml double cream

50g sugar

2 vanilla pods, seeds scraped out

For the poached rhubarb sticks:

500g rhubarb

500g caster sugar

500ml water

75ml grenadine

For the ginger crumble:

50g caster sugar

50g plain flour

50g unsalted butter

25g ground ginger

For the clotted cream ice cream:

300ml milk

15g crystallised ginger

75g clotted cream

1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out

2 egg yolks

50g caster sugar

For the rhubarb jelly:

Stock from the poached rhubarb

15g agar-agar

Method

For the panna cotta:

1. Soak the gelatine leaves in ice cold water for at least 4 minutes.

2. In a pan, bring the milk, cream, sugar and vanilla to the boil. Squeeze out the gelatine and add it to the cream mix.

3. Cool the panna cotta in a bowl over ice for several minutes or until it is cool to touch, then set in a cling filmed lined tray (approx. 17cm x 30cm x 2cm).

For the poached rhubarb sticks:

1. Wash and cut the rhubarb into bitesize pieces.

2. Bring the water, sugar and grenadine to the boil. Once boiling, pour over the rhubarb.

3. Cling film the rhubarb and allow it to cool naturally.

For the ginger crumble:

1. Soften the butter and rub it into to the flour, sugar and ground ginger until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Cook in a shallow tray at 150°C for 10 minutes, breaking it up with a fork throughout the cooking process.

3. Once golden brown, remove from the oven. Leave to cool.

For the clotted cream ice cream

1. Mix the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla pod and seeds together.

2. Heat the milk and crystallised ginger together. Once simmering, pour it over the yolks and sugar. Add the clotted cream, and mix.

3. Return to the heat and cook out until it reaches 83°C.

4. Cool and churn in an ice cream machine until thick and glossy.

For the rhubarb jelly:

1. Mix the agar-agar with the rhubarb juice and bring to the boil. Cool, then pour the liqueur over the vanilla panna cotta and allow to set.

To assemble:

To assemble, place a slice of panna cotta in the centre of the plate. Place a few pieces of poached rhubarb around the panna cotta, sprinkle with the crumble and add a scoop of clotted cream ice cream.