Honeybell Orange Panna Cotta

I recently received a box of Honeybell Oranges from my office and wasn't sure what to do with them. Last year, when I first received a box, I wasn't a big fan. They were extremely seedy, with tough membranes, were drippy/messy juicy, and weren't all that flavorful. Must be a weather thing since this year's are much nicer! Still super juicy and somewhat seedy, but the membranes aren't as tough, and they are very flavorful. The problem is that they're so sweet, they send my blood sugar through the roof! Not wanting to waste them, I had to figure something out that would sort of water the sugar level down a bit. I had just tried a Salted Caramel Kahlua Panna Cotta that came out too rubbery, so I decided to stick with the Panna Cotta idea and try a Honeybell version, adjusting for texture. Turned out super light and jiggly (I skipped the heavy cream altogether), with a nice, subtle orange flavor.

Those are cocoa nibs on the top with the zest. I apparently went shopping at Trader Joe's and didn't have my reading glass on - thought it was a little bag of candied espresso beans I was picking up. I would have preferred to candy some of the Honeybell peels and make little spirals out of them, but the peels weren't pretty enough, so I stuck with a bit of zest.

INGREDIENTS :

1 pt light cream

1 pt half and half (less 1/4 c)

1 envelope plain gelatine

1/2 c Honeybell juice (about 1.5 oranges)

1/2 t vanilla

2 T sugar

Pinch of salt

Oil or spray for dishes if inverting

Garnish as desired

1. Pour the half and half into a pot (save the extra 1/4 c for your coffee) and sprinkle the gelatine over the top, letting it sit for about 5" to bloom.
2. Whisk the mixture over medium heat until the gelatine is dissolved.
3. Add the light cream, sugar, and salt and continue cooking until it just barely starts to simmer.
4. Remove from heat and whisk in the juice and vanilla.
5. If you plan to invert your panna cotta, rather than serving it in glasses or something else (looks pretty in bird bath champagne glasses), you will want to spray or oil the holders first. I used little prep bowls and staged them on a small tray for easy transfer to the fridge.
6. Evenly distribute the mixture between your bowls/ramekins/glasses, cover and chill for at least 4 hours to set.
7. If you have any trouble getting them to release from the bowls when you invert them, run a thin knife or spreader around the edge (like pudding, it can sometimes for a bit of a skin on top).
8. Garnish as desired.