Vanilla Black Tea Panna Cotta

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Harney & Sons Teas asking if I’d be interested in being one of their Teafluencers for the month of December. I immediately jumped on the offer.
I think tea is an underrated ingredient, and I was super excited to be able to choose from their extensive catalog of teas. When I purchase teas for drinking, I usually keep it pretty simple and prefer a simple breakfast blend or Darjeeling, but I knew I wanted to experiment with some of their more fun flavors and was immediately drawn to their Black Vanilla Tea. While not required, I wanted to create a recipe to showcase the tea, and this panna cotta was the perfect catalyst! I know this may seem like a “fancy” recipe to many, but give it a try – you’ll be pleasantly surprised at not just how easy it is to make, but how delicious it is, too!

Vanilla Black Tea Panna Cotta
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup Harney & Sons Vanilla Black Tea
- 1 .25-ounce envelope unflavored gelatin
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Candied vanilla bean pods, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a medium-sized saucepan, warm the cream and milk over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the tea; steep for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the gelatin with 2 tablespoons cold water, to combine, and set up an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and a splash of water and nesting a slightly smaller bowl inside.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the tea from the cream mixture into another medium-sized saucepan, using a spoon or rubber spatula to squeeze as much of the cream mixture out, as possible.
- Add the sugar and salt, place over medium-high heat, and warm, stirring often, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges; remove from the heat.
- Add the bloomed gelatin and whisk until dissolved.
- Strain the panna cotta through a dry fine mesh strainer into the smaller bowl of the ice bath.
- Bring the mixture to room temperature, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.
- Divide the panna cotta into six (6-ounce) glass jars, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight.
- To serve, garnish each panna cotta with some candied vanilla bean pods.