Cereal Milk Panna Cotta

I usually only have cereals for breakfast on weekends. And rarely do I have it with milk. I'll either have it dry or I'll sub the milk with Milo. My dislike for milk started the moment I stopped drinking it from a baby bottle. I was about 6 when I finally realised I was too old to be drinking from a bottle. Somehow writing this made me remember how I hated it when my mum didn't mix the milk powder properly and it gets stuck at the teat. And how I love that gurgling sound you get when you stop sucking from the bottle. HAhaha. I have never once drank a glass of milk my entire life. Alright.. enough about me and back to the dessert. 

A friend who tried this said it tasted like the leftover milk after having a bowl of cereal. And I didn't even tell her what it was. I have to say I really enjoyed it. The creamy panna cotta and the crunchy caramelised cornflakes go so well together. If you can't find gelatin sheets, you may use powdered gelatin. However the conversion measurement of gelatin sheet to powder is debatable and after much research, I've come to the conclusion that 1 sheet of gelatin = 2 teaspoon of powdered gelatin. BUT, this depends on what you are making and the strength of the gelatin powder. If you’re making a gelatin dessert that needs to be unmolded, it is wise to use slightly more gelatin just to be sure that it will hold up. 

The original recipe, calls for an avocado purée to be served with it. But it sounded pretty weird to me and I was too lazy to make it so I just used some strawberry and rhubarb jam I got from the farmer's market. This is the 2nd Momofuku recipe (the first being the shortcake) I've tried and so far they've been both very successful. I can't wait to get my hands on the Momofuku Milk bar cookbook.

This is cereally good. Believe me. 

Cereal Milk Panna Cotta from David Chang's Momofuku 

Ingredients

Cereal milk custard
265g cornflakes
710g whole milk
470g heavy cream
30g packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoon sea salt
2 sheets gelatine

Caramelised Cornflakes
60g cornflakes
3 tablespoons nonfat milk powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted.

Instructions

For the panna cotta:
Heat oven to 150 degrees.

Spread cereal on a baking sheet and bake until toasty, about 12 minutes. While still warm, transfer to large bowl or container and add milk and cream. Stir to combine and let steep for 40 - 45 minutes. (The finished custard will get too starchy if it steeps longer.)

Strain into a bowl, pressing on the cornflakes with the back of a rubber splatula to extract as much liquid as possible. (Discard soggy cereal or eat it.) Add the salt and brown sugar to the milk, and heat it in the microwave for 1 minute just until milk is hot enough to dissolve sugar, watching carefully. Stir gently to dissolve sugar. (You can lightly warm the milk on the hob instead of doing it in the microwave, but if you do, do not whisk or overly aerate or over-heat it.)

Bloom (soften) the gelatine in 450m1 cold water. After 2 to 3 minutes when it’s supple and no longer crisp, with a texture Tosi calls “like a jellyfish” remove it from the water, wring it out and add it to the cereal milk. Stir it once or twice to melt the gelatine in the milk.

Divide mixture among 8 ramekins or silicone molds. Refrigerate until set, about 30minutes. If using ramekins, cover and reserve until ready to serve. If using molds, freeze 1 hour and pop out onto silicon liner (not parchment paper as it will stick to the custard), then refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the caramelised cornflakes:
Heat oven to 140 degrees. Put the cereal in a large bowl and crush lightly with your hands. Seven or eight squeezes should be sufficient; you want ccrumbles not powder.

In a small bowl, stir together milk powder, sugar and salt. Sprinkle mixture over crushed cornflakes and add melted butter. Toss to coat cereal evenly. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or a nonstick baking mat) and bake for 20 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside to cool. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container up to 1 week.