Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert and its name simply means ‘cooked cream’. As its name suggests, it is a smooth, creamy and custard-like chilled dessert. We took this classic Italian dessert and flavoured it with Japanese Matcha. This East-meets-West concoction is really simple to make — no oven or fancy equipment needed — making it easy for budding chefs to impress. Packing a real green tea punch, it is an ideal end to a meal or as a mid-day pick-me-up!

Ingredients:

(Serves 2)

240ml whipping cream

240ml whole milk

60g sugar

5 teaspoons matcha powder

4 sheets gelatin

Method:

1. Soak gelatin sheets in ice-cold water until soft
2. Place cream, milk and sugar in a saucepan and heat mixture over low heat until it is steaming but not yet boiling.
3. In a small bowl, stir matcha powder and 2 tablespoons of the hot milk mixture until smooth.
4. Pour the matcha mixture into the rest of the hot milk mixture and stir. Remove from heat then strain matcha mixture into a jug
5. Squeeze out excess water from gelatin sheets and then add to hot matcha mixture. Stir gently until all the gelatin is dissolved
6. Pour mixture into lightly greased ramekins and chill for at least 4 hours.
7. To serve, place ramekin in a bowl of warm water for a minute or so, until the edges loosen from the sides of the ramekin
8. Place a serving plate over the ramekin and invert, then remove ramekin
9. Garnish with raspberries and pistachios and serve