Sweetcorn panna cotta with caramel popcorn
Prep time: 1 hrTotal time: 
Sweetcorn panna cotta with caramel popcorn
Blended and strained into a creamy purée, sweetcorn brings a natural milky sweetness and a glorious sunshine-yellow hue. Better still, its starch thickens the mixture, helping it set beautifully. Pure magic!
Prep time: 1 hrTotal time: 
Nell Gordon-Hall
Our food producer Nell’s cooking is rooted in the bold and fresh flavours of the Middle East and Mediterranean. Trained in professional kitchens and with a background in food styling, she understands exactly how to make food taste delicious and look great. The kitchen is where she works and – just as often – where she unwinds.
Nell Gordon-Hall
Our food producer Nell’s cooking is rooted in the bold and fresh flavours of the Middle East and Mediterranean. Trained in professional kitchens and with a background in food styling, she understands exactly how to make food taste delicious and look great. The kitchen is where she works and – just as often – where she unwinds.
Ingredients
- 1 vanilla pod, split
- 1 x 325g tin sweetcorn, drained and rinsed
- 400ml double cream
- 150ml whole milk
- 70g caster sugar
- 2 platinum-grade gelatine leaves
For the caramel popcorn
- ½ tbsp vegetable oil
- 15g popping corn
- 30g light muscovado sugar
- 30g salted butter
Step by step
-
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and put them in a medium saucepan. Add the sweetcorn, double cream, milk and caster sugar. Bring up to a very gentle simmer, then cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes, then pour into a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth. Press through a fine mesh sieve back into the pan.
-
Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes until softened. Squeeze out the excess water and whisk into the warm creamy corn mixture until dissolved. Clean the fine mesh sieve and use again to strain the mixture into a jug. Pour into 4 coupe or dessert glasses. Leave to cool completely, then chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until set.
-
To make the caramel popcorn, heat the oil in a large saucepan, then add the popping corn and shake to coat. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook on a medium-high heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until all of the corn has finished popping. Remove from the heat.
-
Put the muscovado sugar and butter in a small saucepan and set over a medium-low heat. Leave to cook for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is bubbling and a deep golden caramel. Pour over the popcorn and mix well until coated. Set aside to cool, then scatter over the four panna cotta to serve.
