Method

1. Halve and scrape out the seeds of the vanilla pod, and then place the seeds and pod along with the castor sugar, cream, and milk into a small saucepan over medium heat, bring to a simmer and stir gently until the sugar dissolves, 2–3 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, soak the gelatine leaves in room temperature water until soft. Gently wring out any excess water from the gelatine, and add the gelatine to the vanilla cream mixture along with the rosewater. Stir until the gelatine has dissolved.

3. Divide the cream mixture among four ramekins and refrigerate for 2–3 hours or until set.

4. To make the topping, add the raspberries, honey or castor sugar and water to a small saucepan, mash the berries roughly with a fork and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until a little sticky. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then divide over the tops of the panna cottas.

5. For the honeyed nuts, warm the honey slightly and mix through the nuts, then use to garnish the desserts.

Extracted from Home. Food from my Kitchen by Sarah Graham (Struik Lifestyle). Visit the Struik site for more information. Photographs: © Penguin Random House South Africa Pty Ltd / Warren Heath