LEMON VERBENA PANNA COTTA WITH POACHED PEACHES

Lemon Verbena Panna Cotta with Poached Peaches image

There are fruit people, and there are chocolate people. Even chocolate people will lick their plates clean when presented with a refreshing, lemony panna cotta strewn with wine-steeped peaches. Panna cotta makes a nice spring and summertime dessert because it's not so rich that you leave the table feeling stuffed, and the lemon verbena adds a welcome, herbaceous tang. This dish is perfect for company because the panna cotta must be made ahead, and the peaches "cook" while coming to room temperature.

Yield makes about 5 cups , or 10 1/2-cup servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup crème fraîche or Greek-style yogurt
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
10 fresh lemon verbena leaves
1 3/4 cups whole milk
1 (1/4-ounce) packet powdered, unflavored gelatin
1 fresh egg
Poached Peaches, for accompaniment (recipe follows)
2 large peaches
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups rosé wine
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/2 whole nutmeg

Steps:

Combine the cream, sugar, crème fraîche, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the lemon verbena, lightly crushing the leaves before adding them to the pot. Allow the mixture to steep for about 1 hour. Keep tasting as it steeps until it has the flavor you want.
Meanwhile, pour the milk into a bowl. Add the gelatin and whisk until it dissolves. Add the egg and beat well.
Once the cream mixture has steeped, rewarm it over low heat until it reaches a low simmer, then pour over the milk-gelatin mixture and whisk until completely combined. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof container with a pouring spout.
Lightly grease 10 ramekins, plastic cups, or coffee cups and line them up on a baking sheet. Divide the mixture among the ramekins and put in the fridge. Chill until set, about 4 hours. Serve with Poached Peaches.
Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil and prepare an ice-water bath in a bowl large enough to hold the peaches. When the water comes to a boil, scald the peaches for 30 seconds. Using a mesh sieve or slotted spoon, transfer the fruit immediately to the ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Using a paring knife, peel the peaches (the skins should now slip off easily) and put the peels in a saucepan. Slice the peaches into eighths and place in a heatproof bowl.
Add the sugar, wine, vanilla, and nutmeg to the saucepan and set over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue cooking for 5 minutes longer. Pour the boiling mixture over the peaches and set the fruit aside to cool and macerate in the spiced wine. Serve with the panna cotta.