Fir Tips Panna Cotta
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 packet (¼ ounce) unflavored gelatin
- ¼ cup sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (20 grams) fir or spruce tips plus more for garnish
- ½ tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- In a blender, add ¼ cup of the heavy cream and the packet of gelatin. Set aside to let the gelatin soften while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 1¾ cups heavy cream with the sugar and salt until bubbling, but do not let it boil. Remove from heat and add this mixture to the blender. Blend on low for 30 seconds, then add the fir tips. Blend again until the tips are incorporated and the mixture is a light green color, about 1 minute.
- Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to strain out the tips. Whisk in the lime juice.
- Thinly coat four (6-ounce) ramekins with vegetable oil. Divide the cream mixture evenly between the ramekins and refrigerate for 2–4 hours.
- Once set, turn out the panna cotta by inverting each ramekin onto a serving plate (if desired) and garnish with more fir tips.
- Note: These are best served the same day you make them. Cover any panna cotta you won’t be eating the same day. They will become firmer the longer they sit but will still be delicious. Best eaten within 2–3 days.
Notes
FIR YOUR CONSIDERATION…
Which brings us to conifers. Maybe your family chose live Christmas trees at the holiday, and subsequently planted them around your home. Maybe the landscaping at your doctor’s office features a couple of perky spruce trees? If you pay attention, you can find conifers like fir, spruce or pine all over the place. The tender tips that appear in spring allow the tree to grow, and they boast a subtle citrus flavor with a little resin-ish warmth. You can eat them right from the tree (and apparently they are high in vitamin C) but be sure not to pick all of them: You’ll stunt the tree’s growth! Identifying edible conifers is fairly easy, but you want to avoid yew trees, as they are not edible. It’s a real pleasure to have a handful of fir tips, and their lovely flavor works well in a creamy panna cotta. What a treat!
MORE FORAGING RESOURCES
Finding reliable and ethical information about foraging can be tricky. Here are some resources for foraging per the Culinary Rambler Gino Gabriel, forager and chef (@culinaryrambler on Instagram).
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Penn State: psu.edu
Eric Burkhart, botanist at Penn State: shaverscreek.org
Debbie Naha-Koretzky: wildediblesnjpa.com
Drew Zimmerman: @unkle_fungus on Instagram
Practical Guide to Pennsylvania’s Wild Edible Plants by Steven Golieb
The Wild Foodies of Philadelphia: wildfoodies.org