Recipes

To make the Panna Cotta

1. Put the milk in a small pan and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Leave approx 5 min to 'bloom' - you will see it form a layer on top that thins out as it dissolves.
2. Meanwhile lightly oil 4 ramekins/custard dishes (4-6 oz size). Push the blackberries through a small sieve to hold back the seeds and thicker pulp giving you the blackberry juice - set aside.
3. Gently warm the milk and ensure the gelatin dissolves, around 3-4 min - test by putting a spoon in and seeing if you can see any lumps, there should be none.
4. Remove from the heat and add the cream, blackberries, and honey and whisk to combine.
5. Pour into the ramekins/custard dishes and chill for at least 2 hrs, but ideally 4+ or overnight if you want to remove from dishes as suggested.
6. To remove from the dish, sit the dish in a bowl of hot water for a minute then ease the top edge away with a knife before inverting on a plate (if the plate is damp, you can slide it to reposition if you need to).

For the halwa

1. Place the milk, finely grated beetroot and cardamon in a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for around 1hr until the liquid is almost all gone, stirring now and then to avoid a skin on top and burning on the bottom.
2. When liquid is almost gone, add sugar, increase heat slightly, and cook for another 5-8 min stirring constantly so the sugar dissolves and the liquid is basically gone. Remove form heat and allow to cool.

For cheesecake cream

1. Blend all ingredients (cream cheese, yogurt, cream, honey, and lemon zest and juice) for the cream together either by hand or in a blender/mixer.

To create flag

1. Remove the panna cotta from the mould and unless you had a square mould; trim down four sides to give you a square shape. Place in top left of plate.
2. Use a large nozzle or no nozzle in a piping bag and fill with the cheesecake cream and draw your white stripes onto the plate. Carefully spoon the halwa in between the white stripes to form your red stripes, holding back any excess liquid to save making it all run.
3. Use a small nozzle to pipe stars with the whipped cream on top of the panna cotta.

Note - all components of the dessert can be kept refrigerated for a day or two. It's best not to make up the flag until nearer when you need it in case the cream and/or halwa run a little and so the flag won't be as 'crisp'.