Panna cotta de chèvre frais et sa macédoine de légumes is a summery dish. It was such a sunny day today in the Bay Area, so I decided to make something refreshing and light.
In case you don’t know, panna cotta is a firm jelly. It can be either be savory or sweet. Instead of using gelatin, I used agar for the vegetarians in the house. I paired the panna cottas with mixed vegetables and lentils to get a balanced meal with proteins, dairy and veggies.
I served them in little verrines. Verrine is just a fancy word for glasses but they are the latest trend in French cooking. If you host a buffet-style dinner, it’s the ideal way to run a stress free party as this dish can be prepared in advance.
1. Info for Savory Goat Cheese Panna Cotta with Beluga Lentil Relish (Panna Cotta au Chevre et sa Macedoine de Legumes)
- Cook Time: 1 hr
- Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins
- Servings: 12
- Calories: 380kcal
2. Ingredients for Savory Goat Cheese Panna Cotta with Beluga Lentil Relish (Panna Cotta au Chevre et sa Macedoine de Legumes)
- 4 oz goat cheese, soft at room temperature, cubed
- 1 1/4 cups goat milk, 12 oz
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 tsp agar agar
- 1 cup fromage blanc
- 1 lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 Tbs pickled garlic, finely minced
- bean sprouts
- 1/2 dozen dried apricots, cubed
- 1/2 cup Beluga lentils, precooked
- 1 red bell pepper, peeled, seeded, cubed
- 1 orange bell pepper, peeled, seeded, cubed
- 2 baby Persian cucumber
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup corn kernels
- 1/3 cup capers
- 1 tsp pink peppercorns, coarsely crushed
- 1 tsp green peppercorns, coarsely crushed
- 1 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt, to taste
- 1 Tbs sugar cane, or regular sugar
- 3 Tbs kumquat syrup
- 2 tsp Dijon coarse mustard
- 1 Tbs Honey mustard
- 5 Tbs champagne vinegar, to taste
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 4 sprigs fresh basil leaves
- 2 Tbs onion chive, cut with shears
- 1 sprig marjoram leaves
- 6 sprigs tarragon
- 1/4 cup fresh spinach leaves, packed
3. Directions:
- Remove the leaves of the basil and marjoram. Discard the stems. Blanch (dip for 15 seconds in boiling water then transfer in an ice bath) 2 sprigs of basil, the marjoram and 3 sprigs of tarragon, drain, then dry thoroughly of all water, then pat dry on a paper towel. Roughly chop the leaves. In a small bowl, mix the agar agar with 1/2 cup of goat milk. Set aside. In a saucepan, melt the goat cheese into the half and half and the remaining goat milk. Bring to a near boil. Add the dissolved agar goat milk mixture and whisk constantly. Remove from the heat. Add the previously blanched chopped herbs, fromage blanc and the juice of a lime. Pour the liquid into mini glasses. Tilt the glasses if you want a curvy effect. Check my tips section for suggestions on how to do this. When the liquid is firm, plastic-wrap each glass and chill for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator or overnight. Snip the onion chives with kitchen shears. Cut the cucumber into cubes. Sprinkle kosher salt on both sides and let sit for 1/2 hour. Pat dry with a kitchen towel. Set aside. Combine the lentils, dried apricots, bell peppers, cucumbers, corn kernels and capers in a bowl. Season with Himalyan salt and the green and pink peppercorns. In a bowl, dissolve the sugar cane in the champagne vinegar. Add the mustards, kumquat syrup, salt and whisk in the olive oil. Add the pickled garlic. Pour the vinaigrette into the mixed vegetables and lentils mix. Plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. Finely chop the rest of the herbs (snipped chive, marjoram, tarragon, basil) that have not been blanched. Tear the spinach leaves (do not chop with a knife, it’ll prevent the leaves from darkening). Add all the green to the mixed vegetables and lentil mixture. Remove panna cotta from the refrigerator. Depending on what presentation you’d like, dip the bottoms of the glasses into a warm water bath for a few seconds. Turn out the panna cotta forms onto serving plates or serve directly in the glasses. Place a little bit of bean sprouts, then spoon some mixed vegetables into the glasses or on the side of the panna cotta. Decorate with whole tarragon leaves. You’re all set. Dig in! Bon appétit!
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