Orange and thyme panna cotta with poached rhubarb, beetroot and hazelnut recipe

1. Put the gelatine leaves in cold water to soften, then squeeze out the excess water.

2. Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds and set seeds aside. 

3. In a saucepan, warm the milk, cream, vanilla pod and thyme to 85C or just under the boil. Add the gelatine leaves and stir to dissolve.

4. Fill a large bowl with ice cubes, nestle a medium bowl into the ice and strain in the milk and cream mix.

5. Add the orange zest and vanilla seeds and stir to cool the mix down. It will thicken slightly, distributing the vanilla seeds evenly.

6. Distribute mix evenly into four small bowls (about 200 millilitre capacity) and chill in the fridge to set for a good three hours or overnight.

7. For the poached rhubarb, beetroot and hazelnuts, pre-heat the oven to 160C.

8. Remove the top and bottom of the rhubarb and cut into batons. Skin the beetroots and slice into thin rounds. Place the beetroot slices and rhubarb into a deep baking tray.

9. Juice and zest two of the oranges, pour the juice and honey over the rhubarb and beetroots, then add the zest and spices.

10. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and leave to cool (keep it covered so it keeps cooking at first in the gentle residual heat). Peel and dice the remaining orange and add it to the cooled rhubarb and beetroots with the hazelnuts.

11. Serve with panna cotta or ice-cream.

Tip: when you set the panna cotta in the fridge, cover it with a lid or glad wrap to avoid tainting the delicate flavour.