I decided to make a dessert to follow our Friday dinner. Because I had just been looking through Sarah Fragoso's Everyday Paleo book on Italian Cuisine, I decided to try out the Panna Cotta. I made a few modifications so I'm going to post my version here with Sarah's ingredients listed at the end in case you'd rather do it her way. I found that this recipe makes just barely enough for our family of five. Next time I make it, I think I'm going to try doubling it.
Meg's Version Ingredients
1/3 cup cold water
2 1/2 tablespoons of grass fed gelatin
2 cups (1 can) Natural Value Organic Coconut Milk (in a BPA-free can)
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup homemade sour cream
1 cup homemade sour cream
1/2 bag frozen raspberries plus a bit more honey
Directions
In a small bowl, add the cold water, and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let is sit for 10 minutes. It'll become a thick gelatinous glop. I have no idea why this step is important. It seems to make it even harder to mix the gelatin in later. But Sarah says to do it, so I do it.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, add the coconut milk (or you can use heavy cream), and cook over medium heat until hot but not yet boiling. Remove the coconut milk from the heat, and add the honey and pure vanilla extract (or almond extract if that's all you can find in the pantry. I don't know where all of our vanilla got to. But it's really good with just a wee bit of almond extract.) to the pan. Whisk well until the honey is dissolved. Add the gelatin and gently whisk until the gelatin is completely dissolved. If you find that the gelatin refuses to dissolve entirely, add a little more heat from the stove until the gelatin is no longer lumpy. Once the gelatin is thoroughly mixed in, add 1 cup of homemade sour cream.
Side note: Homemade sour cream is ridiculously easy to make. Pour one pint of whipping cream into a yogurt maker (or into a container on top of your dehydrator. Or into a container that you set over your fridge where its warmest) and add one packet of yogurt starter (which you can find in the dairy section of the health food store).
Pour the liquid into custard cups and refrigerate for 3 hours or until the Panna Cotta is firm. I found that the small Ball wide mouthed canning jars (that are often used for jam) work really well. Divide the liquid into as many cups as you want to serve (about 4 or 5) and screw the lid on. Then you can stack the containers in your fridge without worrying about any liquid spilling out if someone accidentally bumps the cans before they're set.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, add the coconut milk (or you can use heavy cream), and cook over medium heat until hot but not yet boiling. Remove the coconut milk from the heat, and add the honey and pure vanilla extract (or almond extract if that's all you can find in the pantry. I don't know where all of our vanilla got to. But it's really good with just a wee bit of almond extract.) to the pan. Whisk well until the honey is dissolved. Add the gelatin and gently whisk until the gelatin is completely dissolved. If you find that the gelatin refuses to dissolve entirely, add a little more heat from the stove until the gelatin is no longer lumpy. Once the gelatin is thoroughly mixed in, add 1 cup of homemade sour cream.
Side note: Homemade sour cream is ridiculously easy to make. Pour one pint of whipping cream into a yogurt maker (or into a container on top of your dehydrator. Or into a container that you set over your fridge where its warmest) and add one packet of yogurt starter (which you can find in the dairy section of the health food store).
Pour the liquid into custard cups and refrigerate for 3 hours or until the Panna Cotta is firm. I found that the small Ball wide mouthed canning jars (that are often used for jam) work really well. Divide the liquid into as many cups as you want to serve (about 4 or 5) and screw the lid on. Then you can stack the containers in your fridge without worrying about any liquid spilling out if someone accidentally bumps the cans before they're set.
For the sauce I dumped out a half bag of raspberries (because that's what I had in the freezer), added a little honey (maybe 1/4 cup), and warmed and mashed the raspberries up until I had a seedy sauce. I added about 2 or 3 tablespoons of sauce to the top of each of the 4 panna cottas I made, which was just about right. Although I think the panna cotta was so yummy it would have been fine without sauce.
This recipe is gluten-free, Paleo, GAPS friendly, and if you only use coconut milk and not cream or sour cream, it's also dairy free. (I've made the coconut-milk-only version and though it's not quite as yummy, it's still really, really good.)
This recipe is gluten-free, Paleo, GAPS friendly, and if you only use coconut milk and not cream or sour cream, it's also dairy free. (I've made the coconut-milk-only version and though it's not quite as yummy, it's still really, really good.)
Sarah's Version Ingredients
6 tablespoons cold water
2 packets unflavored gelatin
2 cups heavy cream or canned, full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
optional: blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries
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