Lemon Panna Cotta with Hood Strawberries and Fairy Floss

For father's day, I made a very simple summer time dessert utilizing two of my favorite flavors, lemon and strawberries. It was the combination of two basic pastry components, Pierre Herme's delicious lemon curd and a basic panna cotta recipe enhanced with a touch of zested lemon. I wanted to share this quick recipe with everyone. Sometimes simplicity is hard to beat.

Pierre Hermes Lemon Curd

A very simple lemon curd

• 3 lemon (juice only)
• 4 eggs
• 8 ounces sugar
• 5 ounces butter (room temperature)

1. Combine lemon juice, eggs and sugar in a stainless steel bowl and whisk till well combined.
2. Place bowl over a pot of boiling water and whisk till thickened, about five to eight minutes. You need to continuously whisk the whole time or you may end up with sweet scrambled lemony eggs.
3. Remove bowl from heat and whisk in cold butter. Keep whisking till butter is fully incorporated in.
4. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Lemon curd is great with everything. Try it on the next set of pancakes you cook or with a bowl of fresh berries.

Lemon Panna Cotta

A perfect, light summer dessert.

panna cotta

• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons gelatin
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

assembly

panna cotta

1. Mix milk and gelatin in a stainless steel bowl and let sit for ten minutes.
2. Combine cream, sugar, lemon and vanilla in a stainless steel sauce pot and bring to a boil.
3. Bring a small amount of water to a boil, and place the bowl with milk and gelatin over it. Let warm till the gelatin melts into the milk.
4. Add milk mixture to cream mixture, and then cool to room temperature in an ice bath. Do not allow to get too cold or the cream will solidify.

assembly

1. Distribute the lemon curd equally into eight glasses.
2. Pour panna cotta mixture over and let set overnight.
3. Garnish with hood strawberries, raspberries and/or fairy floss.

Fairy floss, also known as pismaniye or Turkish cotton candy, can be found in Arabic grocery stores. It is adult cotton candy.