Hill Country Peach Panna Cotta and Sorbet

Texas Hill Country peaches, in season from early May through late August, are among life’s greatest simple pleasures. Whether you eat these flavorful, juicy, golden-pink summer gems by themselves or combined with other ingredients in savory and sweet dishes, you can’t go wrong. The only mistake you can make is not indulging in this exquisite fruit as much as possible during the few months it’s available every year.

TexasHillCountry.com asked Chef Jordan Muraglia, co-owner of Vaudeville in Fredericksburg, how he likes to serve local peaches. He shared this easy-to-follow, three-part recipe for peach panna cotta topped with peach sorbet and garnished with ginger tuile. With Hill Country temperatures soaring into the 90s or even triple digits some days, this peachy panna cotta and sorbet make the perfect light and cool dessert for the sweltering summertime.

For information on where to pick up a basketful (or truckload) of these fuzzy fruits, check out the Hill Country Fruit Council’s website.

Hill Country Peach Panna Cotta and Sorbet

INGREDIENTS:

Peach Panna Cotta

Yield: 6 servings

3/4 cup mascarpone cheese

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup whole milk yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Hill Country peaches, blanched and pureed with 1/4 cup sugar

5 sheets gelatin

2 cups heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a mixing bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese, sugar, yogurt, vanilla, salt and pureed peaches into a base mixture, and set aside.

Soften the gelatin sheets in warm water for two to three minutes.

In a small saucepot, bring heavy cream to a simmer.  Drain the gelatin sheets and stir them into the cream until dissolved. Add the cream and gelatin mixture to the base prepared earlier.

Pour the mixture into six 4-ounce ramekins and allow to set in the refrigerator for a minimum of four hours.

INGREDIENTS: