Panna Cotta con Fragole & Rabarbaro (Panna Cotta with Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote) Recipe courtesy of Lidia Bastianich

Yield: 6 servings For the Panna Cotta 1 cup milk cup sugar Half a vanilla bean 2 sheets fish gelatin 2 cups heavy cream For the Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote pound rhubarb, diced 1 pint strawberries, halved 1/3 cup sugar Juice of one orange Fresh mint leaves, to garnish Fresh wild strawberries, to garnish **You will need individual molds of your desired shape to set the panna cotta

To prepare the panna cotta:

Bring the milk, sugar and vanilla bean to a boil in a small sauce pan. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, soak the gelatin sheets in 4 cups of cold water until soft (3-4 minutes). Drain with a small sieve and add to the hot milk mixture. Remove the vanilla bean. With a paring knife, open the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the liquid. Strain through a sieve and let cool. Whip the heavy cream until stiff and fold into the cooled milk.

To prepare the strawberry-rhubarb compote:

In a separate sauce pan, add the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and orange juice and bring to boil. Cook down for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.

To finish:
Fill the molds with the cream mixture and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours. Once solidified, invert each mold onto a separate serving plate. Top each panna cotta with the strawberry-rhubarb compote. Garnish with a sprig of mint and fresh wild strawberries and serve.

As always, this recipe is meant to be a guideline. Cooking is not always an exact science so enjoy making it your own!