Bubble Milk Tea Panna Cotta

Milk Tea Panna Cotta

1. Place the water in a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface. Mix with a toothpick to saturate the gelatin in the water. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes to let the gelatin bloom (absorb the water and swell up).
2. Place the milk in a saucepan. Heat the milk over medium heat, with the lid on.
3. When the milk comes to a simmer, immediately turn off the heat and add the tea leaves.
4. Stir the tea leaves in the milk. Cover the pot and let the tea steep for 10 - 15 minutes.
5. Strain the milk into a measuring jug to separate the tea leaves. Gently press the tea leaves to extract a little more of the milk. But be careful not to press too hard, or you will extract more of the bitter notes. You should get about 1 ¼ cups of tea infused milk.
6. Wash the saucepan, and add the milk back into it. Add the sugar, bloomed gelatin, salt and vanilla.
7. Heat the mixture over medium heat, while stirring, to dissolve the sugar and gelatin. Heat the mixture ONLY until the sugar and gelatin are dissolved. DO NOT let the mixture come to a boil.
8. When the sugar and gelatin are dissolved, remove the saucepan from the heat.
9. Stir in the whipping cream, and then transfer the milk into a large jug (3.5 - 4 cups capacity).
10. Prepare 6 x ½ cup capacity serving dishes. If you'd like to unmold the panna cotta, choose metal or silicone molds with thin walls. Butter the sides of these dishes with a very thin layer of fat. (If you're not unmolding, and simply serving the panna cotta in the dishes, then you do not have to butter the sides of those dishes).
11. Divide the panna cotta mixture between the six dishes.
12. Allow the mixture to come to room temperature. Cover each dish with plastic wrap and place them on a tray. Transfer this tray into the fridge, and allow the panna cotta to set overnight.

Brown Sugar Boba Pearls

1. Start cooking the boba pearls according to package instructions, or the homemade boba pearls according to the linked recipe. These homemade boba pearls will take longer to cook, so you need to cook them BEFORE you make the syrup.
2. Place the sugar, salt, and water in a saucepan. Heat over medium high heat while stirring to melt the sugar.
3. Lower the heat to medium, and continue to boil the sugar syrup. Boil the sugar syrup until thick and syrupy (the syrup will be less thick when you add the boba pearls). Set aside.
4. If you’re making quick cook boba pearls, these can be made while you make the sugar syrup, or after.
5. Place the cooked boba pearls in cold water, and then drain the water. Transfer the boba pearls into the brown sugar syrup and stir to coat. Let cool until the boba pearls are just a little warm.

Serving the Panna Cotta

Unmolding the Panna Cotta

1. Have a bowl with warm water ready. Lower the panna cotta mold into the water (making sure the water doesn’t get inside). Gently rotate the mold in the water for a few seconds.
2. Turn the mold over a serving dish and give it a little shake. This should slowly release the panna cotta from the mold. If it doesn't, return it to the warm water bowl for a few more seconds.
3. Spoon some brown sugar boba pearls over the milk tea panna cotta. If you'd like the panna cotta to be sweeter, spoon some of the brown sugar syrup on top as well.