Topped with a bright, citrus sauce made from fresh blood oranges, this creamy, eggless custard makes an elegant, sweet and stunning dessert.

Preparation

Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zest of 2 oranges into a 2-quart sauce pot. Add milk, cream and ½ cup sugar. Bring to a simmer then remove from heat to steep.

While the cream mixture is steeping, juice 8 blood oranges to yield 1½ cups plus 4 tablespoons of juice. Add 1½ cups of juice and remaining sugar to a sauce pot and reduce until there is ⅓ cup of liquid remaining. Remove from heat and chill.

Place remaining juice in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the top. Allow gelatin to bloom for 5 minutes. When the gelatin has softened, add it to the warm cream mixture and stir until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Strain cream mixture through a fine mesh strainer and pour into 8 ramekins or clear glass serving dishes. Chill for a minimum of 4 hours in the refrigerator.

Peel remaining 2 oranges with a knife and cut the segments into supremes, removing all membrane. Cut the supremes into ½-inch pieces. Pick the mint leaves and cut into a fine chiffonade. Toss orange segments with the mint and reduced orange juice. When the panna cotta has chilled, top with the mint and orange mixture and serve.

*If you prefer to turn out and plate the panna cotta, chill in flexible 4-ounce plastic or silicone molds. To remove, dip briefly (about 5 seconds) in warm water and turn out onto a serving plate. Spoon orange sauce around the outside, and serve.