Macadamia panna cotta

SERVES 6 // PREP TIME 25 MINS // COOK 10 MINS (PLUS CHILLING)

“I love the minimalist simplicity of a panna cotta, so we made an Australian version with macadamia,” says Pepperell. “The light macadamia water mixed with the cream almost mimics silken tofu too, which was a pleasant surprise.”

450 gm macadamia nuts 2¼ titanium-strength gelatine leaves (12gm)

250 ml (1 cup) pouring cream 55 gm (¼ cup) caster sugar ¼ vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

1 Preheat oven to 180°C.

Roast macadamia nuts until just starting to become light golden (4 minutes), then transfer to a blender with 750ml water and blend until very smooth

(1-2 minutes). Line a deep bowl with a clean, lightly dampened and wrung-out tea towel, or 4 layers of muslin, and carefully add macadamia milk, keeping it within the tea towel or muslin. Gather corners together, twist to seal, and carefully squeeze and twist to strain out as much macadamia milk as possible. You’ll need 500ml.

2 Soften gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Combine macadamia milk with cream, sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan and gently warm over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar (1-2 minutes). Squeeze excess water from gelatine, add to pan, stir to dissolve, then strain through a fine sieve. Pour into six 125ml shallow metal moulds and refrigerate until set (5 hours, or overnight). Cover with plastic wrap after setting.

3 To serve, fill a bowl with very hot tap water, place a mould in for three seconds, keeping top edge above water level, then place a serving plate upside down over panna cotta, and invert onto a plate.

Sake suggestion Kameman Shuzo Genmaishu brown rice sake. Super soft, pillowy texture. Brown rice sake is a rarity in Japan, but it’s worth seeking out.