By chef Stefano Brandoli
“Gruppo 8”, Modena
From the book “Il Balsamico, Oro Nero di Modena – The Black Gold of Modena”, published by Artioli 1899A

Panna cotta with caramelised figs
200 ml fresh cream
80 g sugar
190 g fresh figs
Leaf gelatine
Drops of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena P.D.O.
Prepare the Panna Cotta
Pour the fresh cream into a pan and add a vanilla bean cut open lengthwise to expose the seeds. Add the caster sugar and stir thoroughly.
Bring the cream to the boil over a medium heat, stirring every now and then to stop the sugar from sticking to the bottom of the pan and to infuse it with the flavour of the vanilla.
In the meantime, soak the leaf gelatine in cold water until soft. When the cream comes to the boil, remove it from the heat and add the leaf gelatine having gently wrung it to remove the excess water. Stir until the gelatine is completely dissolved and incorporated.
Leave the panna cotta to rest
Pour the mixture into a rectangular oven dish or into individual moulds, as desired. Leave to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes then transfer the dish to the fridge and leave to solidify for at least 8 hours.
Prepare the caramelised figs
Wash the figs and cut in half. Sprinkle some sugar into a frying pan.
Heat the pan over a high heat and add the figs with the cut side facing down. Caramelise the figs until the sugar dissolves and forms a lightly golden caramel. Remove the figs from the pan and leave to cool slightly.
Assemble the dish
When the panna cotta has solidified, cut into uniform cubes if you used a rectangular oven dish or remove from the individual moulds.
Place a cube of panna cotta at the centre of each plate. Place one or two caramelised figs on each cube.
Garnish the dish with a few drops of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena P.D.O.
Buon appetito!