This is Karthika, who blogs at www.karthiskitchenstudio.com, a software developer, a passionate foodie who would travel miles for a crisp samosa, a crazy explorer of food, a voracious reader who can spend an entire day with books, a true coffee lover who enjoys it without diluting with sugar and insanely interested in everything.
Panna cotta is an Italian dessert which translates to Cooked Cream. The dessert is usually prepared using heavy cream sweetened with sugar and thickened with gelatin. The dessert is molded using a variety of cups. The cream is commonly flavored with vanilla, coffee, and rum. They can be flavored according to one’s desire – with fruit sauces, nuts or edible flowers.
An Italian dessert with Indian flavors – Sounds incredible and am game for it. Believe it or not, that’s one of the best desserts I prepared in recent days. The scintillating aroma of cardamom, luminous color and hay-like sweetness of saffron, sweetened cooked cream garnished with nuts and drizzle of syrup on top tantalizes your taste buds and pacifies your inner soul.
Ingredients:
The quantity yields 4 when served in Ramekins
Panna Cotta:
· 3 cups Heavy Cream, divided
· ¼ cup Sugar
· 5 Cardamom Pods
· 4 Saffron Threads
· 2 teaspoon Unflavored Gelatin Powder (I used Knox)
· A pinch of salt
· A pinch of cinnamon for garnish
· Pistachios, finely chopped for garnish
· Almonds, sliced for garnish
Syrup:
· ½ cup Water
· ½ cup Sugar
· 5 Saffron Threads
· 4 Cardamom Pods
Method:
Pannacotta:
· Separate the seeds of cardamom from its shell
· Let’s soften the gelatin. Pour a cup of cream in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin on top of the cream. Do not stir. Keep it aside. Let the gelatin soften. Use a wide bowl to spread the gelatin in a single layer.
· In another saucepan, add the remaining cup of heavy cream, sugar, cardamom pods, and saffron threads, salt. Combine them well.
· Heat it by stirring continuously to dissolve the sugar. Heat until it is steaming hot. Do not boil it.
· Simmer it for another 5 minutes and remove from the flame. Ensure to stir continuously.
· Let the mixture rest for about an hour for the flavors to sink in.
· Now, add the gelatin mixture to the saucepan and reheat to steaming hot, by stirring continuously to dissolve the gelatin.
· Strain the mixture through a mesh to filter the cardamom pods and saffron threads.
· Divide the mixture equally in your preferred variety of cups.
· Cover the cups with plastic wrap and chill for about 4 hours or overnight.
Saffron Cardamom Syrup:
· In a small saucepan, whisk together water and sugar until sugar is dissolved.
· Add the cardamom pods, saffron threads to the pan and bring it to boil.
· Lower the flame and simmer it, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup thickens.
· Remove the syrup from the flame and allow it to cool down completely.
· Leave the pods and saffron threads in the syrup for the flavors to sink in.
· Strain the syrup at the time of serving.
Serving Method:
· Either serve the panna cotta in the cups/ramekins or unmold them from the ramekins.
· Place the ramekins in a bowl with a hot water and let the walls of ramekins become hot.
· After few seconds, lift the ramekins and overturn them on dessert plates.
· Alternatively, run a warm knife around the edges of the glass and unmold it.
· Drizzle syrup on top of the panna cotta generously.
· Garnish with chopped pistachios, sliced almonds and saffron threads.
· Serve it.
Flavors:
· There are endless options to flavor the dessert
o Prepare sauce of seasonal fruit and drizzle over the chilled dessert
o Infuse the dessert with lemon, vanilla, rose, cardamom, saffron, cinnamon or even mint.
o Garnish with chopped fruits, nuts or even with Choco chips.
Notes:
· To cut down the richness of the dessert, use half and half for the cream or buttermilk.
· Oil the regular coffee cups and use them to mold the pannacotta. Believe, they come out beautifully.
· Always use cold cream/ water to soften the gelatin. Do not use hot water.
· If the pannacotta is still liquid, these could be possible reasons
o The mixture is boiled. Boiling destroys gelatin.
o Gelatin is not melted completely.
o The dessert is not chilled enough.
Thanks,
Karthika Gopalakrishnan