How’s This for a Beautiful and Easy Dessert?
Panna cotta. Beautiful, white, milky, and eggless custard. What’s not to love, right? I’ve made a lot of different recipes for this dessert and had arrived at my favorite years ago. But when I read about adding olive oil to it, I knew I had to give it a try.
And seeing as how I would be spooning some of my Pomegranate Jam on top, I gave quite a bit of thought as to what flavors to add to the custard. I began by adding one sprig of fresh mint to the cream and sugar as it heated. After a few minutes, I tasted it and could tell that one sprig of mint wasn’t going to do much of anything, so I added another. I did not want too much mint as I was going for a peppery floral-like flavor. With the 2 mint sprigs, I now had the floral element, but decided I needed some black pepper to emphasize the peppery side of things. A little vanilla rounded it out nicely.
I normally add buttermilk to my panna cotta because I like for it to have some tang. But this time I went with plain Greek yogurt because I whisked olive oil into it and I wanted the olive oil to stay suspended. The thick yogurt was the perfect vehicle. The olive oil blended right in and stayed put. It didn’t sink or separate.
At that point it was only a matter of stirring some softened gelatin into the hot cream and whisking it all into the yogurt and olive oil. I spooned it into some dishes and waited for it to set. It took real will power not to eat this when it had started to set, but I knew I wouldn’t get the true experience until it had fully set, so I gave it a few hours in the fridge.
Here’s the surprising thing about it. The olive oil actually gives it a lighter mouth feel than normal. It’s always silky, but the olive oil makes it even more so. I’ve decided that olive oil is an excellent addition. And the flavors are subtle and interesting. Of course, it’s not absolutely necessary, but that spoonful of Pomegranate Jam really takes this to a very happy place. You could easily use whatever brightly flavored delicious jam you happen to have on hand. Milky, tangy, tart and sweet. What more could I want?
Fresh Mint Infused Panna Cotta with Olive Oil
8
servingsPanna Cotta made with heavy cream, Greek yogurt, olive oil, fresh mint leaves and a little black pepper. Silkiest Panna Cotta I've ever tasted. And that spoonful of Pomegranate Jam on top doesn't hurt at all.
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Ingredients
2 large sprigs of mint leaves approximately 20 leaves
1/2 teaspoon finely ground black peppercorns
1/4 ounce envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups plain whole milk Greek yogurt
Pomegranate Jam or other fruit jam
Directions
- In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water and let sit until softened, 5 - 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, combine the heavy cream, sugar, mint leaves, and black pepper in a small sauce pan. Stir over medium low heat until steam starts rising from the pan. Remove from the heat, skim out the mint leaves, and stir in the softened gelatin and vanilla paste.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and yogurt. Slowly whisk in the warm cream mixture until it is thoroughly combined.
- Spoon into 8 ramekins or dessert dishes and chill for at least 3 hours until set. Spoon a little Pomegranate Jam or other fruit jam on top of each panna cotta and serve. Enjoy!