Serves 8

These delicious panna cottas are very easy to make and convert even non-pudding eaters to the ‘dark’ side! Don’t be put off by the leaf gelatine, as it is very user-friendly and this quantity produces just the right amount of wobble. For vegetarians, use agar-agar as a setting agent instead.

Method

1. Put the coconut milk, cream and sugar into a milk pan. Gently bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, and simmer for a minute or two. Add the zest of one, and the juice of 1½ limes. Pour into a jug and set aside while you prepare the gelatine.
2. Submerge the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water and leave for five minutes to soften. Remove from the water, squeeze out any excess liquid and stir the leaves into the still-warm cream mixture. Pour into eight mini pudding moulds, ramekins or other small dishes, or pretty glasses. Cool, cover and refrigerate until set (preferably overnight).
3. Peel the mango, slice the flesh from the stone and reserve two slices. Process the rest into a purée with the icing sugar to taste. Cover and refrigerate. If using tinned mango, strain and then purée the flesh, adding icing sugar to taste.
4. To serve, if turning out, dip the moulds briefly into a bowl of hot water or loosen around the edges with your finger, creating a vacuum down to the base, and turn out onto individual plates. Dice the reserved mango and serve separately or arrange with a little purée around each panna cotta. Scatter with the pistachios, and grate a dusting of zest from the final lime over each plate. If serving in glasses, flood the tops with a little mango purée and decorate with the pistachios and lime zest.

Get Ahead

Make to the end of step 2 up to three days in advance

Step 3 can be prepared at any time on the day.

Recipes are from The Get Ahead Cook by Jane Lovett, with photography by Tony Briscoe. Published by Whitefox Publishing and available from all good booksellers.