A recipe for Parmigiano Reggiano Panna Cotta

This is a simple and delicious savoury recipe using some of my favourite ingredients. I got this recipe a few years ago whilst in Auckland, New Zealand. It comes from a restaurant called Vinnies in Herne Bay, which I went to and had a lovely dinner with an old dear friend. Vinnies has become one of Auckland's well-established fine-dining restaurants achieving a very good reputation for their welcoming service and great quality cuisine. Its location quite close to 'trendy' Ponsonby also helps as this has become a 'foodie' destination similar to Marylebone in London.

Parmigiano Reggiano Panna Cotta
with balsamic braised figs and proscuitto

For the balsamic braised figs: 1 cup sugar; 2 cups water; 1 cup balsamic vinegar; 18-24 fresh figs
For the Parmigiano Panna Cotta: 240g cauliflower florets (no stems); 40g butter; 1 cup cream; 60g freshly-grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese; one and a half leaves gelatine

18 thin slices of proscuitto

To cook the figs, make a syrup with sugar, water and balsamic vinegar. Simmer for 5 minutes, add figs and place in a deep dish oven tray and braise, covered, for 1 hour at 130 degrees centigrade. Take out of the oven and cool before leaving them still in the syrup in the fridge. n.b it is not necessary to use your most expensive aged balsamic for this.
To make the panna cotta, out the cauliflower and butter in a pan and add cold water just to cover the cauliflower. Simmer for 20 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and water has almost evaporated.
Add cream and reduce by half. Add parmesan cheese. Soak gelatine for 5 minutes in cold water.
Puree cauliflower mixture until smooth, then add the soaked, drained gelatine. Place in six small greased moulds (dariole) and set in fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours.

To serve, layer the proscuitto into folds on the plate. Demold the panna cotta and place onto the centre of the proscuitto. Top with a parmesan wafer (optional) and garnish with the balsamic figs and a drizzle of syrup.

Scrumptious!! This recipe is enough for 6 portions. It would make a great first course or part of a selection of 'anti-pasti'.

My suggested wine pairing would be 2006 Vin Alto, Pinot Grigio, Clevedon (South Auckland), New Zealand This would be an excellent choice because it links together the 'Italian' flavour of the dish with an Italian varietal. Vin Alto located south of Auckland makes New Zealand wines with an Italian accent. Enzo Bettio specialises in red and white Italian varietals, produces fantastic olive oil and is a very generous foodie with a big heart. There has been much scorn put onto Pinot Grigio, but this wine has the necessary aromatics, quince and pear notes, well-balanced structure and alcohol, finishing with a clean freshness and good length. I think it will match the rich, cheesy panna cotta well and be able to cope with the saltiness of the proscuitto and the sweet/sour aspect of the balsamic figs. You could almost be Emiglia Romagna...

For further information on Vin Alto wines please look at their website http://www.vinalto.com/

or contact Helena Westcombe at Ellis of Richmond hwestcombe@ellis-wines.co.uk

I would like to dedicate this to Sandra (a.k.a Sandy) Book.