Two-tone Panna Cotta with Strawberry Sauce
One last strawberry basket for this year! That’s what I did today in our veggie garden in 37C! To be honest, my intention was to pick some aubergines and tomatoes but I came back with a few strawberries as well. I didn’t think there would be any left but it seems that our little strawberry bushes had a few more beautiful, aromatic, vivid red fruits to offer.
I could have filled two baskets but the summer heat -with temperatures reaching almost 40C- has obviously affected our strawberries. Besides that, some pests were already having a feast on them since we never use any chemicals on our plants. After a lot of work, I ended up with a basket of perfectly healthy strawberries.
After trying them, I realised that these late strawberries were different. Despite being a bit smaller, as if they weren’t “strong” enough, they were incredibly tasteful and aromatic. They tasted of summer and sun and almost had the flavour and scent of wild strawberries. Just perfect!
My initial thought was to just eat them right away instead of saving them for a dessert but the little blogger in my mind started picturing them in all sorts of different concepts and recipes, so I restrained myself. I knew I’d want to take pictures of them, obviously, and then I would decide what their fate would be! And it turned out it wasn’t hard at all to find today’s recipe.
As I was searching through my props to get food styling ideas and inspiration, between fabrics and dishes, I found some colourful silicone jelly moulds, just like the ones we used when my daughter was a kid! These would give such a playful and cheerful note to my pictures. That’s how I came up with the idea of a panna cotta decorated with my strawberries.
For anyone that is not already familiar with this particular dessert, panna cotta (“cooked cream” in Italian) is a famous, quick and easy Italian dessert. But making just a simple panna cotta wasn’t going to be enough, I wanted to make something a bit more impressive. Something beautiful and delicious, just like my strawberries. And I found it; a two-tone panna cotta with strawberry jelly decorated with a wonderful strawberry sauce.
Of course, for all of that, we’ll need to use gelatin sheets or gelatin powder. Today, I’m going to make a healthier version of this dessert and instead of using gelatin, I’ll use agar agar. Agar agar is a natural thickening agent derived from red algae. You can easily find it mainly in organic markets. I’ve been using it for years in jellies or whenever I want to make a less sugary jam. It’s completely natural and very efficient. You need to be a little careful with the quantities though, so read the instructions before using as they may vary depending on the brand. The amount of agar agar I am using today was measured according to the package instructions and won’t necessarily work for you.
Today’s post felt like a fun game. I can’t get enough of the wonderful, happy colours my pictures have. Pink, red, fuchsia.. And my panna cotta looks amazing! This day brought back such sweet memories of cooking with my daughter when she was little and loved adding colour to our kitchen. Happy, pink moments, the kind we all need!
Although I didn’t use gelatin today, my panna cotta is still amazing. Of course, you can always use gelatin for a thicker result. Regardless of how you make it or which fruits you choose to add, this recipe is super light, refreshing and very summery! Quite impressive as well!
Ingredients
For the strawberry jelly:
300g strawberries
300ml cold water
2tbsp gelatin powder (around 20g) or 2tbsp agar agar
6tbsp sugar
For the panna cotta:
450ml heavy cream
50g sugar
Beans from one vanilla stick
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
2tbsp gelatin powder (around 20g) or 2tbsp agar agar
60ml cold water
For the strawberry sauce:
300g strawberries
6tbsp sugar
Juice from one lemon
1tsp cornstarch
Peppermint leaves for decorating
Method
1. Start with preparing the panna cotta which will be the first layer of your dessert. Add water to a cup and spread a layer of gelatin powder/or agar agar evenly on the surface. Let it stand for 10 minutes until the gelatin absorbs all water. In a pot, heat the heavy cream with sugar, vanilla pod and seeds. Bring to a boil so that the vanilla releases its scent. Remove from heat and discard the vanilla bean. Add the gelatin and whisk lightly until you make sure the gelatin has dissolved. Let the mixture cool and fill the silicone moulds leaving space for the strawberry jelly. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
2. Start making the strawberry jelly after the panna cotta has been in the refrigerator for 6 hours so that you can add the jelly on top. Clean the strawberries and mash them up with a blender. Add water to a glass and sprinkle the gelatin powder/or agar agar. Let stand. In a pot, heat the strawberry juice and sugar and boil for 10 minutes. Add the gelatin and continue boiling for another two minutes. Remove from heat. Let it cool but not get too thick. After the panna cotta has been in the refrigerator for 6 hours, add the strawberry jelly on top of it. Chill in the refrigerator for another 4 hours.
3. Strawberry sauce. In a pot, add all the ingredients except the cornstarch and boil for 10 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. While it’s still warm, strain the mixture to get a clean and smooth sauce. If the sauce seems to be too liquid, dissolve 1 teaspoon of cornstarch in water, add it to the sauce and bring to a boil again until it thickens. Let it cool.
4. When the dessert is ready, fill a baking sheet with boiling water and dip each mould into it for a few seconds so that the dessert can be unmoulded more easily. Place them on serving dishes and pour strawberry sauce on top. Decorate with peppermint leaves.
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