Vegan Panna Cotta

Today’s dessert?… Panna Cotta! (Applause) … Yes, because we are talking about a very fine dessert, traditional from the Piedmont region, and one of the iconic dishes in Italian cuisine. In its classic version it is served with fresh berries(strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc.), in compote, jam, or coulis. Panna cottas with chocolate, caramel or fruits such as mango or peach are also delicious.

Panna Cotta literally means “cooked cream” and is made with cow’s milk cream, sugar and gelatin (of animal origin). The result is not a gelatin, as the fat in the cream mildly gels and produces a flan-like texture, very creamy and very light at the same time. Everything about Panna Cotta is about its texture, and it is here where the difficulty of making vegan versions of this dessert lies.

In our vegetable version we use coconut milk due to its high fat content, we curdle it with corn starch and we sweeten it very gently with sugar and vanilla. In the photo you can see its soft and light texture. This is the secret of a good Panna Cotta, getting it as far away as possible from a firm and compact texture without crumbling down.

As you can see in the recipe, this is a very straightforward dessert and here the importance of being mindful to obtain a perfect texture. To accentuate the flavors of its topping (jammed fruit in this case) we have reduced the sugar to a minimum. We top it with our Kumquat Marmalade, and you will also find it scrumptious with our Blueberry Compote. To accompany Panna Cotta, the important thing is to use a natural preparation where the flavor of the fruit shines.

The result is a very elegant, fine and refreshing dessert where the goodness of the fruit is enhanced by the creaminess of the Panna Cotta. The intense flavor of Kumquat is the protagonist with a distant coconut flavor wrapped in a creamy cloud. Yum! Yes, truly, an applause deserving dessert.

Vegan Panna Cotta

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: TQC

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 400 ml coconut milk
• 250 ml almond milk
• 40 gr sugar
• 40 g corn starch
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or equivalent)
• Fruit compote, coulis with fresh fruit or similar (high quality)

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut milk with the sugar over medium heat.
2. In a small bowl, mix the almond milk and starch well until smooth. Add it to the saucepan.
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring with a whisk, until the cream has thickened. About 10 minutes.
4. Add the vanilla and incorporate well.
5. Pour the mixture into 6 silicone molds and let cool.
6. Store the panna cotas in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.
7. Serve the panna cotta with berries, fruit compote or marmalade. The more fruit, the better.

Culinary Tips

For this recipe it is important to use a high fat coconut milk. If you look at the fat content on the Nutrition Facts label, select one around 20%.
It is very important to weigh the ingredients well to obtain the correct texture.
The quality of the fruit used will determine the quality of the dessert since the final flavor is that of the topping. Use homemade compote or coulis with fresh seasonal fruit if possible.

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