Shortbread recipe
Bake these classic shortbread biscuits to wow a crowd. You only need four ingredients, but you can mix it up with lemon or orange zest, or try adding chopped pistachios
Make the passion fruit jelly first. Heat the passion fruit juice and sugar in a saucepan, stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Meanwhile, put the 2 sheets of gelatine in cold water and leave to soak for about 5 mins until soft. Take the juice off the heat. Add the gelatine and stir until it melts, then stir in the passion fruit seeds. Pour into 6 dariole moulds, or a similar container that can be turned out. Chill for 1 hr or until firmly set.
Purée the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla paste and lychees in a food processor or a blender. Sieve and pour into a saucepan. While it’s heating, soak the 5 sheets of gelatine in cold water, as before, until soft. When the cream is just under boiling, remove from the heat. Squeeze the water from the gelatine, add sheets to the cream mixture, then stir until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Stir, then pour into the moulds. Chill for at least 3 hrs or up to a day, to set. Can be done a day ahead.
When ready to serve, pour boiling water into a bowl. Dip sides of each mould into the water, holding it in for a second. Place a plate on top and flip over to turn out. Serve the panna cottas with extra lychees, some curd and more passion fruit flesh.