Marsala pannacotta

Method

1. Put your metal pots on a flat, heat-resistant surface. Pour 100g of the sugar in a small saucepan and put over the lowest heat on your hob. Occasionally tilt and shake the pan to melt all the sugar. At no point in the process should you stir the caramel. The caramel is ready as soon as all the sugar is liquid and deep amber in colour.
2. Carefully pour just enough caramel in each pot to coat the bottom, dividing it evenly. Be very careful at this stage as the caramel is around 200°C and can cause serious burns if it gets in contact with the skin. The metal pots will get very hot too once the caramel is poured (see Giuseppe’s tip).
3. Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put 300g of the cream, the remaining 100g sugar and the vanilla paste in a small pan and bring to a simmer. By warming up only half the cream, the cooling/setting time will be shorter and less alcohol will be lost through evaporation. Remove from the heat, squeeze out the excess water from the gelatine leaves, then dissolve them in the hot cream, stirring vigorously with a spoon or, even better, a whisk.
4. Very slowly pour the remaining 300g cold cream into the hot cream mixture, stirring constantly. Always add the cold cream into the hot, never the other way around: this will avoid premature setting of the gelatine and the formation of rubbery lumps in the cream.
5. Finally, add the rum and marsala wine and combine. Divide the mixture equally between the pots; they should be filled up to about 1cm from the rims. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours or, better, overnight.
6. Once the mixture is set, de-mould each pot onto a small plate or saucer. The best way to do this is to fill a bowl big enough to accommodate a pot with boiling water. Dip each pot into the hot water for 2-3 seconds, then turn it onto the serving plate. Shake the pot and plate sideways and tap it over a folded dish towel until the panna cotta has dropped.