Vanilla Rose Pana Cotta

So a few things are new chez Pot: 

• I've started a new job on the 1st of August. It's a bit bigger, a bit better and a whole lot more pleasant in terms of the people I'm surrounded with from 8 to 5. Erm yes... let's just leave it at that! I'm sure you catch my drift.
• TheHusband has started brewing all-grain beers. Also a step up from the malted mixes he used to use. The end result is great, though the prep work has just about quadrupled. You win some, you lose some, right?
• We found out that the little alien baby incubating inside my (ever-growing) tummy is a girl. Have I told you before? You'll have to excuse me, I have the memory of a gnat these days.
• We're thinking of moving. Again. Urgh. Mostly because it would make sense to live a bit nearer to both of our jobs. But yeah, we are *not* looking forward to packing everything up again and lugging it to our new nest. 
• Oh and talking about nest, apparently I'm now at the nesting stage of pregnancy. Which TheHusband finds toe-curlingly hilarious apparently. Which, if you know me, you'll probably understand exactly why he finds this new turn of events so amusing. Hmph. 

Also: I've been a HLH. A Horrid Little Hoarder. I've kept this recipe all to myself for the last couple of months, delighting in the girly pinkness of the photos and savouring the memory of the creamy coolness of the pana cotta on my tongue during the heat of summer. Heck, I've been hoarding this since before I got pregnant, which we all know is just about a lifetime ago. 

It seems fitting to roll it out now though. 

Partly because we all new things (jobs, the first signs of spring, etc) deserve to be celebrated with a mouthful of something sweet and partly because the over the top girliness of these photos perfectly echoes the double dose of x-chromosomes I'll be carrying around for the next three months or so. 

And let's be honest - this tastes fan-freaking-tastic and it would be more than criminal to withhold it from you for even a second longer. Absolute perfection in summer, though quite frankly, I wouldn't say no to a creamy little pana cotta in the middle of winter either. And the subtle turkish delight flavour? Really, really good, adding a subtle layer of sweetness and heady perfume to an already delicious little dessert. Go on, make it now. You'll thank me later when you're smiling woozily after the last spoonful.

Vanilla Rose Pana Cotta
A Creative Pot original
Makes: 6 (generous) servings

500 ml cream
2 1/2 tsp gelatin
110g sugar
1 vanilla pod
415 ml plain yoghurt
15 ml rose syrup (plus more for decoration)
125g rose turkish delight, roughly chopped

1. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup cream with gelatin, stirring until smooth. Allow to stand for 10 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, heat remainder of the cream (1 1/2 cups) with the sugar in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Scrape seeds from vanilla pod into the mixture, stirring to combine. Cook slowly, stirring all the while to melt the sugar until it reaches a gentle simmer. 
3. Remove from heat and stir gelatine/cream mixture in - mix very well to ensure there are no lumps and that all the gelatine has been incorporated evenly. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. 
4. Stir yoghurt into the cream mixture.
5. Divide yoghurt/cream mixture in two equal parts, add rose syrup to the one half, stirring to colour it a gentle pink.
6. Lightly grease your pana cotta molds, then divide chopped turkish delight amongst them. Spoon the white yoghurt/cream mixture into the molds, just covering the turkish delight, then place in the freezer for approximately 30 - 40 minutes to lightly set.
7. Spoon the rest of the pana cotta mixture (pink) into the molds so that it rests atop the white part. 
8. Refrigerate overnight (or 8 hours), before turning out onto serving plates. 

Drizzle with rose syrup and add some more chopped turkish delight as decoration just before serving.

Will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. 

The serving quantity can be adapted to eight servings instead of six by using smaller molds. You will need to up the quantity of the turkish delight to around 150g though.