May 17th
2005
Inspired by a recipe found on Epicurious, I gave our very own basic recipe for panna cotta a little colorful twist. Some weeks ago I bought frozen blueberries, didn't have immediate use for them and was looking for a suitable recipe since. Quite a few possibilities crossed my mind, blueberry-muffins for instance could have been an option or a blueberry-banana-smoothie, but I was looking for something else; it had to be a different challenge...a new panna cotta. A smoother, fruitier version, with a different hue.
Said and done. The process is in principle the same as for the original panna cotta, except for the fruit puree.
Heat the cream, add the sugar and a lengthwise sliced vanilla bean (and the scraped out vanilla seeds). Let it lightly cook for about 15 minutes and stir every now and then. Remove the vanilla pod from the pot and the pot from the heat.
Meanwhile soak the sheets of gelatin in some water (for about 10 min). Squeeze well. Add them to the cream mixture and stir thoroughly until the gelatin has completely dissolved.
Put the blueberries together with the buttermilk in a blender, mix until you get a smooth puree, then pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Finally add the puree to the cream, stir well and divide up the cream-fruit-mix into four molds. Chill for at least 8 hours, better over night.
To unmold the panna cotta, briefly dip the form in hot water and carefully flip it over on a plate. Decorate either with melted white chocolate or some chocolate flakes (scrapped from a bar of chocolate) - we found the chocolate to be the perfect companion.
Annotation: This is a very nice variation of panna cotta, the color is so rich and extravagant. It's taste is perfect for a summer dessert, mild and creamy on the one hand, fruity with a little tartish aftertaste on the other hand. The unmolding part wasn't as easy as with the regular recipe, probably due to the modified composition (with fruit puree). But I rather have problems unmolding it than using too much gelatin, the creamier the panna cotta, the better. And if the panna cotta refuses to come out of its mold at all costs - where's the problem, you can serve them in nice little pots as well ;) Definitely a recipe to keep.
Blueberry Buttermilk Panna Cotta
Recipe Source: mix of various recipes, inspiration from Epicurious
Prep time: about 25 min., chilling: at least 8 hours
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Ingredients (serves 4):
200 ml cream
4 tsp sugar
1 vanilla bean
100 ml buttermilk
150g blueberries
2 sheets gelatine
for decoration: white chocolate
Guys, once again, this looks so great. Thanks for the inspiration, I will definately try this as well... Great finish for a spring/summer menu. BTW, what is the background of the first picture, these paper place mats from kare or the napkins from ikea?
Oh, wow! I have never made or tried panna cotta. One reason, it never looked so appealing in the pics. This one is drawing me to itself, so you really got me to try it this time.
Thanks.
Looks fabulous. Love the presentation of panna cotta on the white chocolate.
How many packets of dry powdered gelatin is equivalent to one sheet?
GORGEOUS. Simply devine. But, you should have saved it for Sunday's IMBB! Of course I'm sure you have yet another beautiful trick up your sleeve for then.
I might have to nick this recipe - I love blueberries and I too have some sitting, waiting for me in my freezer.
tara, Barbara
Thanks! I was really happy it turned out this way, since the unmolding wasn't easy at all this time (due to the little amount of gelatin used) ;)
Hi Hande,
Thanks - neither Kare nor IKEA, however, I love shopping at both places :) For special occassions I like to create my own table sets and use for instance nice wrapping paper (this one is from Ludwig Beck). Sometimes, provided they aren't stained, I keep them for other purposes.
Joel,
Tough call, since it seems that there are many differnet opinions out there and I personally have not used the powder before. Our used sheets weigh two grams (each), I would imagine that the same amount in powdered gelatin should be fine. I did a little research in German cooking forums and they recommend the sheets over the powder, since they are easier to handle (less likely to lump) and the actual amount is always dependent on your personal taste . Other recipes suggest the double amount of what we typically use (what oftentimes results in difficulties unmolding the panna cotta, but taste wise we prefer it this way). It's more an trial and error process and of course a good reason to have lots of panna cotta :)
Dreska,
You really have to try panna cotta! When it comes to dessert, I always return to our two favourites: panna cotta and tiramisu, in all imaginable variations...(highly addictive). Please let me know in case you give panna cotta a shot :)
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you. We thought about IMBB, but also wanted to make something we haven't done before - more on the salty side. Soon to be posted ;)
What a pretty color, pretty presentation, i love it!
What a gorgeous colour!
Hi Nicky! This is my first time visiting your blog, and I have to admit I'm so in love with it! Your photos are all so stunning and the fact that you include recipes alongside many of your creations puts your blog among the unique few that aren't just about the pictures. May I add your blog to my food blog links?
Might I also ask what kind of plate that is in the first photo posted in this entry? It seems to have a slightly mirrored surface. I like the reflection of the panna cotta in the plate - it easily adds another visual dimension to your plating.
Thanks for making my day! =)
Hi Riana, Lyn,
Thanks! ;)
Hey Alan,
'Glad the blog helped to brighten the day a bit and thank you for the kind words :) The plate is in fact from IKEA, it is a dark blue, square plate with a very shiny finish (hence the mirror effect). They have these plates in some nice colors... ;)
This looks and sounds absolutely delicious! I've never tried Panna Cotta before, but as I like jellied buttermilk and yogurt cakes and desserts, this should be a real treat! I've saved the recipe in my folder and will be trying it v. soon..
Beautiful blog with gorgeous photography!!!
(and I'll be checking those plates out in IKEA next time:)
Hi Nicki,
I had some blueberries that needed using, so I decided to try this recipe (though halved, as this is too much pannacotta for just 2 people). I followed everything step by step and have just put it in the fridge, but instead of being the same wonderfully vibrant colour as yours, mine is this awful blue-grey colour :( Any ideas what might be the cause? (It still tastes wonderful as I licked my prep plates clean, but just isn't as asthetically pleasing!)
Hi Ellie, Hm, good question! Maybe it was the kind of blueberries you used? Like I wrote here, not all types of blueberries behave the same. If you used cultivated ones, the "flesh" is likely to not have the same vibrant color. But that's really the only reason I can think of now. Perhaps have an eye on the cream as well, make sure it's not too hot anymore, when combining it with the berries/buttermilk - but that's just a precaution.
Hi Nicky,
I had no idea there was such a difference between cultivated and wild! I was wondering why the insides of my berries were clear! The next time I try this, I will make sure to use fresh wild berries :)
What a gorgeous hue! These would be perfect for an afternoon tea or some other frilly event. The texture looks sublime, and I like the idea of the tartness of the fruit as a counterbalance to the rich cream.