Some people seem to despise the texture of jelly. I’m not one of those people. Personally, I love a good jelly dessert. Whether it’s a translucent, fruity affair, or a creamy panna cotta, there is something uniquely satisfying about the way it jiggles on your plate and melts on your tongue. In this recipe, the creaminess of the panna cotta is offset beautifully by the tangy orange, while almond flavouring and orange blossom water add a fragrant note.

You can easily make a dairy-free alternative by substituting the milk and single cream with soy/coconut milk  and cream and if you also want to make it vegan you will have to use agar agar instead of gelatin.

Ingredients (for 2 or 3)

60 ml water

185 ml milk

60 ml single cream

1 tsp almond flavouring (bitter almond extract)

1-1.5 tbsp sugar

a little less than 4 sheets of gelatin (3 3/4)

1 orange

a drop of orange blossom water

• Heat the water and milk over low to medium heat in a small saucepan.
• Soak the sheets of gelatin in a bowl of cold water until they become soft.
• Squeeze them to get rid of the excess water and dissolve them one by one in the hot milk.
• Add the cream, sugar and almond flavouring. Stir until the sugar has dissolved completely.
• Take the pan off the fire and pour the mixture into a rectangular jelly mould or container which has been lightly coated with flavourless oil. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 2 or 3 hours, or until the jelly is completely set.
• Dip the bottom of the mould in hot water for 30 seconds before letting the jelly slide out on top of a chopping board.
• Slice the jelly into cubes and arrange on plates.
• Cut the orange into thin slices. In a small bowl, squeeze the juice out of a few orange slices and mix with a drop of orange blossom water.
• Arrange the orange slices next to the panna cotta cubes, and finish off with a drizzle of the fragrant orange juice mixture.