=== Beet Panna Cotta With Meyer Lemon Mousse ===


**Beet Panna Cotta**
  * 
  * ½ pound red beets, peeled, cut into ½” pieces
  * 2 cups heavy cream (I bet this would be just fine with either milk or half and half or even fat free half and half substituted)
  * ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  * 1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
  * 3 tablespoons honey
  * ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

**Meyer Lemon Mousse**

  * 1 tablespoon finely grated Meyer lemon zest
  * ½ cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
  * ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces, divided
  * ½ cup sugar, divided
  * 4 large egg yolks
  * 1 large egg
  * ½ cup chilled heavy cream
  * OR - if you have lemon curd in the freezer you can just add that to the whipped cream!!



== **Preparation** ==

**Beet panna cotta**

    Bring beets, cream, and salt to a simmer over medium heat in a medium saucepan.\\ 
    Cover, reduce heat, and simmer very gently until beets are tender, 25–30 minutes.\\
    Let cool slightly.
    
    Meanwhile, combine gelatin and 2 Tbsp. cold water in a blender; let sit 5 minutes for gelatin to soften.
    Transfer beets and their cooking liquid to blender; add honey and vanilla and purée until smooth.\\ 
    Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; discard solids.\\
    Divide purée among glasses and chill until set, 3½–4 hours.
    Do Ahead: Panna cotta can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

**Meyer lemon mousse**

//Making lemon curd//
    Bring lemon zest and juice, ¼ cup butter, and ¼ cup sugar to a simmer over medium heat in a medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat.
    Whisk egg yolks, egg, and remaining ¼ cup sugar in a small bowl until pale and thick, about 2 minutes.\\
    Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot lemon mixture into egg mixture.\\
    Transfer back to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until curd is thickened and whisk leaves a trail, about 5 minutes.\\
    Remove from heat and add remaining ¼ cup butter, whisking until melted and curd is smooth.\\
    Transfer curd to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto surface. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours.\\
        Do Ahead: Lemon curd can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.\\
    
    When ready to serve, whisk cream in a small bowl to soft peaks and gently fold into curd.\\
    Spoon mousse over panna cotta.


    Recipe by Odd Duck, Austin
    
    Notes: initial testers said it's really rich.\\
    You could definitely substitute milk for cream, also serve in the small cups so it's only a bite or two per serving. \\
    Also: even out the amount of mousse and panna cotta, so there's a lemony bite in each bite. 
    Finally, experiment with putting a small amount of star anise (one or two petals of a pod) into the cream and beets as they cook. \\
    It might soften the "earthiness" of the beet flavor.