Starting the week off right

Before I properly planned my Christmas baking, I bought a few punnets of blueberries from the markets, thinking without a doubt I would use them. I didn't. So I froze them until I felt like baking with blueberries.

I'd also like to reveal my not-so-secret secret of loving something sweet during the week. Actual, any night will do. Often I'll finish dinner and that tingling will start on my tongue and a little voice will tell me to find something sweet (then a mean voice will try and stop me, but now it sounds like I'm a little crazy. I am). Last night I was rummaging through the fridge and found the frozen blueberries. I had seen a recipe in the recent Coles supermarket in-store magazine for a layered mango panna cotta and thought I could experiment using my frozen blueberries.

Panna cotta has a delicate texture and a wonderful smooth consistency. The blueberry jelly topping my panna cotta was a little grainy, so next time I think I'll sieve the puree better. I could eat this every night, but then I would have to make it every night as it must be eaten fresh. Oh well, I enjoyed my blueberry panna cotta last night. Maybe next time I'll try coconut or passionfruit.

Layered Boozy Blueberry Panna Cotta

Blueberry layer

2 punnets blueberries

1 tbs caster sugar

1 tbs gelatin powder

1/3 cup water

Splash port (or sweet wine)

Cream layer

1 2/3 cups thick cream

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 vanilla bean, split in half

1 tbs gelatin powder

1/3 cup water

In a blender, liquefy the blueberries. Pour the blueberry mix through a sieve into a bowl, repeat if still grainy. Add the caster sugar and port and stir to combine. In a bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and whisk until full incorporated. Pour the blueberry mix into the dissolved gelatin and mix to combine. Pour the blueberry mix into your glasses/moulds and fill about half way up. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

After an hour, start the cream layer. In a small saucepan over a medium heat, dissolve the sugar into the cream. Stir the split vanilla bean into the mix and heat until almost to boiling point. Set aside to cool to room temperature. In a separate bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and whisk to combine. Stir the gelatin mix into the cream and whisk until there are no lumps. Pour the cream over the blueberry layer and refrigerate again for at least another hour.

When set, eat!