Honeysuckle and Lemon Curd Pannacotta from Victoria

I love Victoria magazine. My moma got me a subscription the first year it was out, back in the 80's. I think I was in 8th grade. I loved everything about it: the clothing, the recipes, the homes, and the writing. I was not much of a cooker back then, but I loved to dream. Now I love to make, and Victoria is one of the few publications that I trust to give me consistently reliable and delicious recipes. 

When I saw this recipe for Honeysuckle Pannacotta my heart went "boop"! I love to gather flowers for jellies, jams, and syrups. Any recipe I see that makes use of natural items I can find around our farm is something I have to try. And let me say that around here honeysuckle is considered an invasive plant. With vines big enough to eat a house, I had no trouble finding blossoms.
 

Infusing the cream overnight with blossoms.

Both parts of the recipe are simple custards, firmed by gelatin. 
 

You can tell when gelatin is "softened" because it has sucked up the liquid and looks like the surface is covered with crushed sugar.

The first layer is made with cream infused with honeysuckle blossoms. They soak in it all night, and then they are simmered in the mixture the next day. Here I am straining it into the copper mold. You let this chill in the fridge till it is set before adding the next layer.

The second layer is a lemon curd. It calls for Meyer lemons, but I have only seen them once or twice in all my grocery shopping. Regular lemons did the job admirably. Straining is essential in custards and curds to make sure there are no tiny lumps to ruin the smooth creaminess.

Here is the recipe, Victoria Magazine Honeysuckle Lemon Pannacotta . I halved the amount because I didn't know if people would like it enough to eat it all, plus I wanted to use a pretty 5 cup mold that I had. Sometimes halving a recipe results in disaster. I am delighted to say that this turned out perfectly and was the exact amount I needed for my family of 8 to all try, and for several of us to have multiple slices! 

 I had one little wedge leftover to eat the next day. It was just as good and the texture was still firm. This is a recipe that I would make again!  

The one thing I would do differently is to leave out the vanilla bean. I know, I know, I adore vanilla also. But it was strong enough to try to overpower the honeysuckle. Next time I want it to shine, all on its own. And if I made it for a big family event I could even make the full recipe. Then I'd have to decide what mold to make it in...