White Chocolate Panna Cotta, Oxnard Strawberry Jelly and Black Pepper Shortbread
Ingredients
White Chocolate Panna Cotta
- 1 cup organic heavy cream
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 1 1/8 cups white chocolate, chopped
- 2 teaspoons gelatin
- ¾ cups crème fraiche
Oxnard Strawberry Jam
- 3 cups Oxnard strawberries, divided use
- 2 ½ tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon gelatin
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Black Pepper Shortbread
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups flour
- 7/8 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- For the Panna Cotta: Bring cream and whole vanilla bean to a boil. Turn off heat and allow to infuse for 30 minutes. Pour infusion through a fine-mesh strainer over white chocolate and stir to melt white chocolate. (You may need to heat cream a bit to warm it enough to melt white chocolate.) Add gelatin and crème fraiche while whisking. Continue to whisk until gelatin is dissolved and when you rub the mixture between your fingers you don’t feel any gelatin granules. Chill 1-2 hours. For the Oxnard Strawberry Jelly: Place 1½ cups halved strawberries in a bowl with sugar and lemon juice. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place over a double boiler so strawberries release their juices, about 2-3 hours. Check water level periodically and add more water as needed so pan doesn’t dry out. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Slowly pour gelatin into strawberries while whisking to dissolve. Set aside or chill until ready to use. For the Black Pepper Shortbread: I In a stand mixer, add soften butter, flour, powdered sugar, black pepper and salt. Mix on medium speed until a smooth dough is formed. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Take out of fridge to warm just enough that dough can be rolled out 1/8-inch thick. Freeze rolled-out dough for 1 hour. Cut in desired shapes. Bake shortbread at 350° until golden, about 15 minutes. Assembly In a decorative glass, dice remaining strawberries and place in the bottom of glass. Pour strawberry jelly over the strawberries. Pour panna cotta on top. Repeat layers. Top with Black Pepper Shortbread. Optional garnishes include chocolate décor and edible flowers.
