Smoked Thyme Panna Cotta...Smoked Thyme Panna Cotta with Lemon Verbena Granita & Pine Nut Soil

A sophisticated exploration of herbal aromatics, featuring cold-smoked cream, a sharp citrus granita, and earthy pine nut crumble.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Cold-smoke the heavy cream for 10 minutes using a smoking gun with dried thyme stems. If a smoking gun is unavailable, lightly char the thyme stems and trap the smoke in a sealed container with the cream for 20 minutes.

2. 02

   Steep fresh thyme in the smoked cream over low heat for 15 minutes. Do not allow it to boil.

3. 03

   Bloom the gelatin sheets in ice-cold water for 5 minutes. Squeeze out excess water and whisk into the warm infused cream with 60g of sugar until completely dissolved. Strain through a chinois or fine-mesh sieve.

4. 04

   Pour the cream mixture into silicone demi-sphere molds and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until set.

5. 05

   For the granita, blanch lemon verbena in boiling water for 10 seconds, shock in ice water, and blend with lemon juice, 40g sugar, and 150ml water. Freeze in a shallow tray, scraping with a fork every 30 minutes until fluffy ice crystals form.

6. 06

   Prepare the pine nut soil by rubbing chilled butter into the flour, salt, and chopped pine nuts until a sandy texture forms. Bake at 170°C (340°F) for 12 minutes until golden brown. Let cool completely.

7. 07

   To plate: Place a circle of pine nut soil on a chilled plate. Unmold the panna cotta and place it slightly off-center. Top with a quenelle of the lemon verbena granita and garnish with micro-thyme leaves.