Panna Cotta
I first had panna cotta at Maggiano’s and fell in love with it. I later found out, to my regret, it had gelatin in it and was delighted to find a non-gelatin version during our trip to Paris in 2014. I have been wanting to make it ever since, and found a good gelatin substitute, agar agar in a local store. It didn’t set at all the first time I made it. I then found out I had bought agar agar flakes, and not powder and much google research, figured out how to use the flakes. Recipe source: Epicurious, link in Recipe notes section
Servings Prep Time
4servings 5minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
10minutes 4hours, maximum
Servings Prep Time
4servings 5minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
10minutes 4hours, maximum
Ingredients
  • 1.25cups whole milkwhole milk works best; stay away from the low fat stuff
  • 1cup heavy cream
  • 3tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 vanilla bean
  • 2tsp agar agar powderEden brand, I had flakes which I roughly powdered in a spice grinder
Toppings
  • 1/4cup each of assorted fruitsblue berries, grapes, ripe mangoes, etc.
To Serve
  • 4 ramekins, or small glass bowls
  • 4 small, pretty plates
Instructions
  1. Mix the milk, cream, and the sugar in a heavy bottomed pan; Slit the vanilla bean pod in the center, scrape the beans into the milk and cream, and throw in the pod
  2. If you have the flakes like I did, try to crush into powder. My spice grinder had a rough time with it, and produced quite a coarse powder.
  3. Dissolve the agar agar in a quarter cup of water, and wet it aside. It should “bloom” and become gel-like in the time it takes to boil the milk/cream
  4. In a heavy bottomed 1 or 2 quart pan, boil the milk, cream and the sugar together until the mix is starting to boil, but don’t let it boil over
  5. Turn the heat off, and add the agar agar paste,and mix it thoroughly
  6. Cool for about 15 minutes
  7. Pour into ramekins, or individual glasses and chill for about 2-4 hours
To Serve
  1. Take a bowl deep enough to place the ramekins, and pour hot water; the bowls should be able to sit comfortably in the hot water without getting immersed
  2. Chop the desired fruits into tiny pieces
  3. Dip each of the set bowls into the hot water bowl for about 3-5 seconds
  4. Run a thin knife along the edge of the custard to loosen it up
  5. Keep the plate on top of the ramekin/bowl and invert it gently, and tap if needed to let the custard fall into the plate
  6. Top with desired fruit and enjoy!
Recipe Notes

Recipe Source:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/vanilla-panna-cotta-with-fresh-mango-compote-243633

This recipe uses a mango compote for the topping.
Toppings:
I chose fresh mangoes, blue berries and green grapes as my toppings.
How to use agar agar:
The recipe also adds the agar agar directly into the boiling milk. I read that it’s better to dissolve it separately in water, and add it to the milk. It seemed to have worked beautifully!

I have been wanting to make this most sublime dessert ever since I tasted it a couple of years back, first at Maggiano’s (which was unfortunately made with gelatin), and then at a restaurant in Paris, which was amazing, and had no gelatin!
This dessert is simple to make but looks very elegant, tastes amazing, and the best thing to do if you make it would be to keep the toppings simple and not too overpowering. Most recipes I found online had some sort of fruit compote as the topping, but I chose fresh fruits to keep it light.
If you do make it, I would love to hear what variations you came up with.