Amaretto Sour Sweet: The Dessert of my Dreams.

Instructions

For the Panancotta:

• Dissolve castor sugar in the milk, cream and Amaretto over a gentle heat.
• Following the packet instructions carefully, add the gelatin to the mix.
• Allow to cool slightly and then carefully pour into 4 glasses.
• I used a small funnel so the mixture didn't splash all over the glass.
• Arrange glasses on a tray and refrigerate until set.

For the Jelly:

• Wait until the panacotta is set before preparing the jelly. You don't want it to set in the pan while you are waiting.
• Pour the syrup from the can of lychees into a measuring jug and fill up to 500ml with water.
• The syrup was a murky neutral colour, so I rubbed a few raspberries through a sieve to add a rosy tint.
• Pass the finished liquid through a fine sieve or clean dishcloth into a clean jug to remove all the little floating bits.
• Prepare the gelatin leaves and add to the liquid as per pack instructions.
• Stir well.
• Cut up some of the lychees into smaller pieces. Put aside.
• With a sharp paring knife cut all the peel and pith from the outside of the grapefruit.
• With the grapefruit in one hand, over a bowl to catch the juice, cut closely between each side of the segment skin to release each segment. Put aside.
• When the panacotta is set, carefully spoon a thin layer of the jelly over each layer of panacotta in the glasses. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes until set. You want the fruit to sit on this layer rather than directly on top of the panancotta, so it appears suspended.
• If you're not fussed, or pushed for time, skip this step.
• Carefully arrange the fruit pieces in each glass - not too much as you need room for the other layers.
• Pour over the remaining jelly mixture taking care to cover the fruit pieces as much a possible, and try not to splash the glass.
• Return to the fridge until serving time.

For the Granita:

• To make the heavy sugar syrup heat the sugar and water together until the sugar has dissolved.
• Add cooled sugar syrup and equal volume of water to the juices of the pink grapefruit and lemon.
• Add a dash of angostura bitters.
• Pour into a shallow tray and freeze.
• Once frozen, and if you have the time, scrape the granita with a fork every 4 or 5 hours, returning to the freezer, until needed.
• I didn't have the patience and just scraped the whole lot with a fork to create the granita about a hour before serving time and returned to the freezer until I was ready to serve.

For the Meringue:

• You will need a 6cm diameter dome silicone mould sheet (mine has 6 domes), and an oven proof pan large enough to hold the mould sheet. I used a baking tin.
• Preheat oven to 120C.
• With an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
• Slowly add the sugar, continually beating until you have firm peaks and the sugar has dissolved.
• Fill each dome with meringue mixture, pressing gently to avoid too many air spaces.
• Level the top of the mould and clean up with the flat edge of a knife.
• Place the mould tray into the oven proof pan and fill to 3/4 with water to form a bain-marie.
• Place in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and leave in the water for another 5 minutes before removing the silicone mould sheet from the bath to cool completely.
• Unmould the meringues and carefully arrange on a silicone sheet in a container with a lid.
• Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

To Serve:

• Add a layer of grapefruit granita to each glass.
• Top each glass with a poached meringue dome. (They are very sticky, so work carefully)
• Serve immediately.
• Soak up the rapturous praise! You are welcome.