For those who want to match the cherry flavors in Elysium with a perfect dessert, this is your recipe. Plus, it’s just gorgeous to present! This dessert takes some time to prepare because the different layers need to set in the refrigerator, so it’s a good idea to make it the evening beforehand.
Cherry jelly:
4 cups pitted cherries
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsn. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh cherry juice or cranberry jice
1 oz (28 gram) envelope unflavored gelatin
Combine pitted cherries and sugar in a large stainless steel bowl. Place stainless steel bowl in double boiler. Bring water to a boil. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour through a fine sieve, pressing on cherries with the back of a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Add lemon juice. Measure the amount of Cherry juice. It should make around 1⅔ cups. If it’s not quite 1⅔ cups, add a bit of cherry or cranberry juice. Set aside. Put ⅓ cup cold water into a small bowl; sprinkle with gelatin. Let soften 5 minutes, add to cherry juice mixture, stir well.
Panna Cotta:
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. powdered gelatin
1 cup milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the cream, ½ cup of milk, the sugar and vanilla bean. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Place the remaining ½ cup of milk in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. When the gelatin has softened, place the bowl over a small pot of simmering water until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Stir the dissolved gelatin into the hot cream mixture, cool to room temperature and remove the vanilla bean.
To assemble the parfaits: Carefully fill each of 8 parfait glasses one-quarter full with the liquid panna cotta mixture and refrigerate until set. Pour an equal layer of the cooled fruit liquid on top of the panna cotta mixture and refrigerate until set. Pour another layer of the panna cotta mixture into each glass and refrigerate. Finally, fill each glass with a final layer of the fruit liquid and refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with cherry sauce (recipe here). Serves 8.