Chocolate panna cotta

Ingredients:

- 200g dark chocolate
- 2 leaves of gelatine
- 190ml milk
- 250ml double cream
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthwise

Preparation:

  Chop the chocolate roughly in small pieces, and place in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, without stirring. Once the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and set aside so that it cools slightly.
Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for about 5 minutes.
Place the milk, cream, sugar and vanilla pod in a heavy-based pan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and strain through a colander on to the melted chocolate. Stir well to combine. Squeeze the gelatine to remove the excess water and add to the mixture, stirring as you do so to dissolve the gelatine. Pour into the moulds and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
 To serve, drop the base of the mould into warm water then quickly remove and run a small knife around the outside and turn out on to chilled plates. You can also serve it in a designed glass. You can serve with honey, caramel sauce, strawberries, cinnamon etc.