Panna Cotta with Woodruff

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 ml whipped cream
• 5 tbsp woodruff syrup
• 4 sheets of gelatin
• some woodruff stalks, wilted for at least 3 hours to release the flavoring
• sugar to taste

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Rest time approx. 6 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 6 hours 25 minutes

Bring the cream to a boil with the syrup and additional sugar, if desired (we find it sweet enough without sugar, but that’s a matter of taste). Meanwhile, soften the gelatin in cold water. Simmer the cream gently for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. During the last 5 minutes, add the woodruff stems upside down. Be careful not to submerge the stem ends, as this will make it bitter! It’s best to tie a small bunch and hold it with the string. After the cooking time, remove the pot from the heat, remove the woodruff stems, and stir in the squeezed gelatin until completely dissolved. Pour the mixture into cold-rinsed dessert glasses or ramekins. Once cooled, let it chill thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Serve with fresh strawberries, chopped and lightly sugared. Outside of the woodruff season, this recipe also works with syrup alone—in my opinion, the version with just fresh woodruff isn’t flavorful enough, even if you use more woodruff. Of course, some of the cream can also be replaced with milk.