Planet Green
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Yield: 4-6 people
For the panna cotta:
Ingredients
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 sheets gelatin
1 1/2 cups natural, whole milk yogurt
1 1/2 cups cream
Method:
In a saucepan bring the milk and sugar to simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved.
Meanwhile place the gelatin in enough ice water to submerge the gelatin completely. Soak the gelatin until softened. Once soft, remove the gelatin from the water, squeezing out excess water. Add the gelatin to the hot liquid and stir to melt.
Let cool slightly then stir in the yogurt. Chill over an ice bath until it starts to thicken.
Whip the cream to medium, stiff peaks and fold into the yogurt mixture. Pour into individual 4-ounce molds and chill for 2 hours.
For the soda:
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 English cucumbers
½ cup fresh mint leaves, packed
Method:
Boil the sugar and water together until a syrup that is light golden in color is formed. Chill the syrup.
Grate the cucumber into a lightly dampened piece of cheesecloth. Gather the cheesecloth together and squeeze out as much of the juice from the cucumber as possible.
Make a tea with the mint leaves by wrapping them in cheesecloth and steeping them in 2 cups of steaming hot water for ten minutes. Taste the tea; it should have a strong mint flavor. If not, allow to continue steeping. Once the tea is strong enough, remove the mint leaves and squeeze out as much water as you can from the mint packet. Allow tea to cool.
To make the soda, gradually mix together cucumber juice, mint tea, and syrup until the mixture tastes balanced. The amount you use will depend on the strength of the tea as well as the cucumbers. Place mixture in a soda siphon and use a soda charger to carbonate. Alternately, you may use club soda to carbonate the cucumber mixture. If you do this, make sure your cucumber mixture is strong in flavor as the soda water will dilute it.
To assemble the dessert:
When ready to serve, carefully run a knife around the edge of the panna cotta and invert into dessert bowls. Garnish with fresh, local strawberries. Pour cucumber soda around the panna cotta.
