Sweet Potato Panna Cotta With Lemon Grass Soup

Bake sweet potato in centre of oven heated at 325ºF until tender – approximately one hour.Peel and purée until smooth. Set aside. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Rub seeds into the sugar to distribute evenly. Reserve the pod. In a heavy saucepan, combine cream, sugar mixture, sweet potato purée, vanilla bean pod, orange zest, cardamom seed and nutmeg. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat and let mixture steep for 30 minutes. In another heavy saucepan, combine milk and gelatine. Stir to combine. Add sweet potato mixture and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and strain mixture through a fine sieve. Cool until mixture just begins to thicken and set. Divide the mixture among 10 ramekins. Cover and refrigerate overnight. To remove the panna cotta, run the tip of a warm paring knife around the outside of the panna cotta. Invert the ramekin and gently shake to release. For the lemon grass soup Combine 900ml heavy cream, 340g sugar, six stalks of fresh lemon grass and seeds scraped from two vanilla bean pods in a heavy saucepan. Bring the mixture to the boil; reduce temperature and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 30 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine sieve. Refrigerate for at least four hours before serving. Recipe courtesy of North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission