Panna cotta with apple and pear purée and almond brittle

An excellent end to a meal: creamy and delicious with a delicate but flavourful sauce. I tried it with a dusting of cinnamon too. Buy ready-made brittle if you prefer not to make it.

INGREDIENTS FOR 7 SERVINGS

PANNA COTTA

300 ml FRESH CREAM

100 ml WHOLE MILK

75 g SUGAR

8.5 g GELATINE LEAVES

200 ml FRESH CREAM, WHIPPED

VANILLA EXTRACT OR POD

APPLE AND PEAR SAUCE

3 APPLES

1 PEAR

100 g SUGAR

200 ml WHITE WINE

1 SMALL GLASS OF PEAR OR APPLE SPIRIT SUCH AS CALVADOS (optional)

1 LEMON

ALMOND BRITTLE

1OO g ALMONDS

50 g SUGAR

20 ml WATER

I soak the gelatine in cold water. I put the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla in a small pan and bring to the boil, dissolving the sugar completely.

Once boiling, I switch off the heat, add the squeezed gelatine and dissolve thoroughly. I cool the mixture in an ice-water bath or in the fridge.

I whip the remaining 200 ml of cream and gently fold into the cooled cream mixture.

I divide between silicone dome moulds: I made 7. I refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

For the brittle, I put the water and sugar in a heavy-based pan. As soon as it starts to colour, I add almonds heated for 5 minutes in the microwave, or in a small pan. I add them hot to the sugar and let it caramelise.

When golden, I pour onto a surface lined with baking paper and leave to cool.

For the fruit purée, I peel and dice the fruit and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning. I put sugar in a pan and, when it starts to caramelise, add the diced fruit. After a few minutes, I deglaze with wine.

I add the spirit and cook until the fruit is soft.

I blend with a hand blender. The purée is ready; I cool and refrigerate it.

To serve, I put a couple of tablespoons of fruit purée on the plate, gently unmould the panna cotta into the centre and crumble roughly chopped brittle over it. Add a pinch of ground cinnamon if you wish.