Machi Machi’s Fresh Strawberry Latte with Panna Cotta

We Love You So Machi

This week’s Radical Hospitality guest post is from a Ferrandi (culinary school) classmate and good friend, Sven Li. Sven is one of those people who goes above and beyond to make sure that everyone in class has what they need and feel supported. He is always helping set-up, clean-up, and running errands for the team. He is the classmate that is always singing, causing lots of drama by being provocative, and bringing joy. 

In December and January, we had a two-month metro/public transportation strike in Paris. During this time, Sven (Radi, Ray, Gabbi) and I would walk an hour to and from school together with various other classmates. On our way home, we would stop by various bakeries and various shops around Paris for a snack and to treat ourselves for these long walks. AND THEN, Machi Machi Paris opened. I was SHEWK. It’s a Taiwanese bubble tea shop that has the most delightful beverages and the BEST bubble tea that I’ve ever encountered. We ended up going nearly every day, and I am now a HUGE Machi Machi fan.  I’m so excited to share this recipe by Sven especially since strawberry season has begun in France. I can’t wait to go to Machi Machi again, but until then, thank goodness for this recipe! Follow all of Sven’s culinary adventures here: @sven_spaetzlegott!

Chic, 

Jen Kim


Machi Machi friends (from left to right): Ray, Sven (straw in mouth looking sideways), Felix, Gabby, Me, Marcus, & Radi.

Machi Machi friends (from left to right): Ray, Sven (straw in mouth looking sideways), Felix, Gabby, Me, Marcus, & Radi.

Machi Machi’s Fresh Strawberry Latte with Panna Cotta

Machi Machi became our addiction and we chanced upon it thanks to Ray (@fatfatpenguin). We were obsessed… and Machi Machi was the answer to everything. It became an inside joke and secret password for an exclusive group. We would go as often as three times a week before or after culinary school 

Jen was obsessed with the signature strawberry panna cotta drink that was served in a cute bottle, while I was just trying to go through the entire drink menu and try every single drink. (They also had an amazing panna cotta/pudding/crème brûlée drink, but that's for another time).

The last time we went to Machi Machi was 21 Jan 2020, our last day of school and before all this COVID 19 blew up in our faces! We even inducted new members into our cult of Machi machi, radi, Gaby and Marcus.

I really miss everyone, our memories of hanging out at this bubble tea shop and since strawberries are coming into season, why not try to recreate the drink! And it's actually so simple.

I hope everyone can give it a go and share the drink with your friends (either through video conference or face-to-face when all this is over), because Machi Machi means Buddy Buddy in the indigenous language of Taiwan :)

-Sven Li

Panna Cotta.jpg

Recipe Type: Quick and Easy

Time: Prep 30 min, chilling overnight

Servings: 2-4, depending on size of container

Ingredients

  • 200g full cream milk

  • 150g whipping cream (at least 30% fat)

  • 1 sheet gelatin leaf (5g approximately)

  •  25g sugar

  • Half a vanilla pod

  • 150g Strawberries (or other fruits and berries in season) 

  • 150g full cream milk

  • 10g sweetener of your choice (adjust accordingly to your taste and how the fruits are)

Equipment

  • Pot

  • Whisk

  • Sieve

  • Funnel (if you want to pour into bottles)

  • Mixer/food processer/immersion blender  able to make a nice smoothie/milk shake

Instructions

  1. Warm the milk slightly to 50°C in a pot.

  2. Cut a vanilla pod in half and scrape the vanilla seeds with a knife. Add the seeds to the warm milk, along with the pod. Take off the heat and allow the vanilla to infuse, the longer the better

  3. During this time, soak the gelatin leaves in icy cold water.

  4. Bring the milk back to a gentle boil, add the sugar and then the cream.

  5. Stir well to combine and take off the heat just when the mixture comes back to boil again.

  6. Allow the mixture to cool before adding the gelatin. Mixture should not be more than 80°C otherwise the gelatin will deactivate.

  7. Squeeze the gelatin well to remove excess water and add to the milk-cream mixture. Stir well.

  8. Strain the mixture with the sieve for a better consistency and to remove excess air bubbles and the vanilla pod. Pour into desired glass or bottles (do sanitize the bottles). The recommended proportion is up to ¼ of the height of the glass or bottles, but you can also adjust according to your preference

  9. Allow the panna cotta to cool to room temperature before setting in the fridge for minimum 4 hours or ideally overnight.

How to Serve

  1. When ready to serve, blend the strawberries, milk and sweetener to a smooth consistency. Adjust the ingredients according to the taste and texture you want.

  2. Pour the strawberry milk into the prepared glass or bottles with the panna cotta set inside. Serve with a fat bubble tea straw so that you can suck up all the goodness!

  3. The Machi Machi crew always recommends us to stick the straw straight in to the bottom to have a taste of the panna cotta first, then draw it up to taste the strawberry milk and finally mix them all up and enjoy the flavours and textures of both!