Okay! I have been planning to make Panna Cotta for quite sometime since I discovered
the frozen Passion Fruit Pulp at Walmart, (in the latino area) other than that, I had already done my research on how to get the perfect ones so I have been patiently impatient if you know what I mean. Now this Italian dessert is just a delicate thing that does not require a list of so many ingredients to make it perfect.
What is Panna Cotta? or a good Panna Cotta!!? After experimenting and reading tons of blogs as usual, I found the 3 keys to a perfect Panna Cotta from an article by Russ Parson in Seattle Times, the reason why I agree with his findings its because I have tried couple recipes and the ratio that he has given , gave me the perfect desired Panna Cotta. As mentioned by him ; The Jiggle, The Cream and the Sweetness. Basically these 3 elements need to come together in harmony..no over powering issues here. The jiggle is the ratio of gelatin to the liquid, I obviously like my Panna Cotta well set with some kind of body and not rubbery and that would be 3/4 tspn of gelation per cup of liquid in (cream). The cream is very light and does not leave that heavy fat taste in your mouth. I have also done this with coconut milk which is also another perfect combination with the fresh fruits. The Sweetness , for those who are not so sweet people; you don't have to worry about its hardly there and the topping of fresh fruits and various other elements that you may choose to use will take this delicate dessert to a whole new level.
Panna Cotta is mostly a summer dessert but I like to make it anytime of the year and more ofcourse in summer coz I get to make use of the fresh fruits to make coulis , syrups or just simply display them on their own. Its a very light dessert perfect after a heavy meal. Its easy to prepare and best if its done in advance so that takes away a lot of pressure when you are entertaining Panna Cotta can be presented in any way that makes you comfortable, as simple, delicate and fancy as you want it to be, either in a mold, dessert glasses or ramenkis , I chose ring molds coz I cant wait to use my acetate sheets that I recently purchased.
For the Panna Cotta:
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
5 tablespoons sugar
method:
If you are using ramenkins wipe the insides of 8 (one-half-cup) with a light coating of neutral oil and set aside.
Please do not get confused in the order on how this is prepared. You can start with fruit base or Panna Cotta or either way. Since I wanted my base to be fruit which in this case it is Mango and Passion Fruit, I will start to make the fruit basis first. Another thing that I want to mention here is the use of unflavored gelatin. I use Halal gelatin you can use which ever gelatin you are comfortable with the brand or type should not make any difference.
You can use fruit puree of your choice canned or fresh, if using fresh do simmer for few minutes coz you need the gelatin to melt.
For the fruit gelee it all depends how thick or thin you want it to be. I used more gelatin for the base and less gelatin for the top like sauce/syrup consistency.
For the fruit gelee I used as per the directions on the box which is a base of 500ml liquid with 3 tspn gelatin.What I needed was only 1/2 cup or 4oz/125 ml of mango/Passion fruit and 1 1/2 tspn gelatin (I used more gelatin) It set perfectly for the mango almost the same consistency as the Panna Cotta but for the passion fruit it needed longer time.
I warm the passion fruit pulp in the microwave and then or sprinkle gelatin powder
Stir to mix until its dissolve and there are no lumps , keep it aside to cool
I had a lot of mango pulp , so I heated it all and then I just used the little amount
required for the dessert
I got my ring molds ready and inserted the acetate sheets to the desired size, likewise assemble whatever you may need to serve the dessert.
I used aluminum foil to cover the base
Once the fruit gelees has cooled pour in the container/mold etc, and let set, this may take few hours
For the Panna Cotta:
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
5 tablespoons sugar
In a small saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar and split vanilla bean, and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Sprinkle 1 Tbls of gelatin over 2 Tbls of water and let it dissolve
Remove from heat, and whisk in the softened gelatin and the vanilla extract. If you are
using vanilla bean scrape the vanilla seeds from the bean pod into the mixture, and discard the pod.
using vanilla bean scrape the vanilla seeds from the bean pod into the mixture, and discard the pod.
Let the cream mixture cool before you pour it into the containers/mold etc and set it in the refrigerator for 4 hours or so ( I kept mine over night)
Oops! I did not cover the molds tight enough the panna cotta managed to spill under.
With mango gelee at the bottom and mango coulis on the top
About 10 minutes before serving, run a thin-bladed knife around the inside of the ramekin. Wrap the ramekins with a warm/hot towel to help smooth release, If the panna cotta doesn't unmold right away, tap the ramekin lightly on the countertop to loosen it or run it under hot water for few seconds. Panna cotta can also be served without unmolding in a dessert cup/glass , bowl or so.
With fresh Passion Fruit
