Panna Cotta with Rangpur agar agar topping

Yesterday I posted about this citrus fruit, which I believe to be a Rangpur "lime" (technically not a lime!). And as promised, here is the recipe:

Panna Cotta with Rangpur agar agar topping

ingredients

500 ml cream (if you are Vegan use Coconut cream, I am sure that it would go very well with this citrus topping!)

2 tbsp sugar

1 level tsp agar agar

for the topping

4 Rangpur limes

2 tbsp sugar

Water

Half level tsp agar agar

Bring the cream to the boil with the sugar and agar agar, simmer until the sugar and agar agar  have dissolved (about one minute) stirring constantly, then pour into some glasses (I used different glasses, Martini and grappa mainly, since I hardly use them to drink with I thought it would be nice to show them off with a dessert!). Let the panna cotta cool down completely, and set. In the meantime separate the Rangpur segments into a bowl and remove all pips. Add 2 tbsp of sugar and let them rest at room temperature (in the sun if possible) and covered for an hour or two to dissolve the sugar and make some juice. Then put the segments and juice in a measuring jag and add water to take the Rangpur mixture  up to 300ml. Add half level tsp of agar agar and bring to the boil. Pour over the panna cotta and let it set at room temperature before refrigerating until serving time.

PS, don't forget to keep the peels and click here for a fragrant citrus bath idea!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Rangpur, not Tahitian limes

Sue brought me some organic citrus fruit from a friend's garden in Coromandel, she told that they were Tahitian limes. I heard this before in NZ, I think that this is the common name here, but they don't look like limes, more like yellow mandarins, and they taste a bit like grapefruit. So I did a quick search and found that they probably are Rangpur, a cross between a mandarin and a lemon.

What to do with them? Well, I read that they are great for gin and tonic (maybe this is why they call them limes), but usually I only drink gin and tonic when I go to other people's houses (a very common pre-dinner drink in NZ), and I wanted to cook with them. If I find the time I will post a recipe tomorrow, for now I can just tell you that I had a good use for the peels: I put them in a gauze and tied it up to make a gigantic 'tea bag' to put in my hot bath. The fragrance is divine, a bit like a bath with the Japanese yuzu fruit, very citrusy and full of 'zest'.

Please let me know if you know this fruit, and what you do with it.

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©