There’s nothing more refreshing than chilled, sweet and creamy Panna Cotta.
Panna Cotta is a traditional Italian chilled dessert, with a sweet flavour and silky finish. Its rich simplicity makes it the perfect choice for entertaining, because it’s easy to prepare and can be made in advance.
At Salt Spring Coffee, we’re always experimenting with different ways to enjoy coffee, and we happen to also love food. This classic Panna Cotta recipe pairs well with our Byron’s Maracaturra, with its lively tasting notes.
What did we do next? We rolled up our sleeves, and set out for a long and tasty day’s work in our Education Centre, of course! We hope you’ll be as pleased as we are with the results.
What you’ll need:
- 1 envelope powdered agar agar (1 1/2 tsp)
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1 cup brewed Byron’s Maracaturra coffee (*using instructions below)
- 1/3 cup organic cane sugar
- Pinch of grated vanilla
- 8 ramekins (or short “rocks” glasses)
- For toppings, try chopped dates, grated cinnamon, organic honey, raspberries, sliced apricots, fresh mint leaves
How to prepare:
- Brew coffee and mix it with cream. Add in grated vanilla, and place mixture in refrigerator.
- In separate bowl, add the agar agar to 2 tbsp of cold water. Let mixture soak for about 5 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, mix the cream and agar agar mixtures, and then stir in the sugar. Bring to a low boil over medium heat and simmer for 5 mins, stirring constantly.
- Pour mixture into ramekins, and chill for approximately 1 hour.
You can serve the panna cotta directly within the ramekins, garnishing with the toppings of your choice.
Or, for a more polished effect: when you’re ready to serve, dip the bottom of the ramekins into a small bowl of hot water for 2 mins. Turn ramekin upside down and use a shaking motion to loosen the Panna Cotta. You can also gently run a thin knife around the edge of the ramekin to help loosen the Panna Cotta. Invert ramekin onto centre of small plate, and garnish to taste.
* To highlight the flavour of Byron’s Maracaturra coffee, you’ll need to use double the standard amount of ground coffee. We recommend using the manual Pour Over brew method, or the French Press method can also be used. Whichever method you use, be sure to use 56g of coffee and 14 oz of hot water. The high concentration of coffee will increase water absorption, and you will end up with approx. 1 cup of coffee.
Stay tuned as we share more recipes in our new Recipe Series. In the meantime, cheers to a happy and healthy summer, filled with lots of coffee, panna cotta and laughter.
This recipe was developed using the classic Panna Cotta recipe from Epicurious.
