Simple, Sweet, Scrumptious - The Coconut Panna Cotta!

Ever so often I wonder if I wasn’t a pastry chef would I be working in the corporate world sitting staring at the computer and look at the prices of shares go up and down. But right now am apprehensive shall I add more sugar or not to my dessert??

I have a shoot at my home for a magazine article and the photographer is coming at Noon. And I wanted to make something quick as I also have to go to work. So I decided on Coconut Panna-Cotta. For those who don’t know what is Panna Cotta…? It’s an Italian dessert made by simmering collectively cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. An Italian phrase which factually means “cooked cream”; it by and large refers to a creamy, set dessert from the Northern Italian region of Piedmont. It is eaten all over Italy where it is served with wild berries, caramel or chocolate sauce. In general it’s not known exactly how or when this dessert came to be, but some theories hint that cream, for which mountainous Northern Italy is famous, was historically eaten plain or sweetened with fruit or hazelnuts. Earlier recipes for the dish used boiled fish bones in place of gelatin; however, sugar, a main ingredient, would not have been widely available as it was an expensive imported commodity. After years this treat evolved into what is now a gelatin dessert, flavoured with vanilla and topped with fruit or spices, and served chilled. Similar versions of this dish are also found in Greece and France.

I decided to go to INA market opposite Dilli Haat to get my ingredients. It’s one of the best places where I have been able to get all the ingredients I used in U.S. and Singapore.

Because of the shoot I needed something with colours and the base plain so I decided to go ahead with a Coconut Panna Cotta.

But Plain coconut was a little too boring…as I walked in the market with a friend who helped me select some fruits and ingredients she picked up a lemon grass stalk and asked: “What in the world is this?” And suddenly in my mind all these ingredients started coming. I have always liked to create fusion based desserts. Chocolate with chillies or with cardamom and orange – I like creating a fusion of different items.

So my ingredients were done. Came home and did my Mise en place. Mise en place (literally means “put in place”) is a French phrase defined by the Culinary Institute of America (aka CIA-this is where I went for my specialization in baking and pastry) as “everything in place”, as in set up. It is used in U.S. kitchens to refer to the ingredients, such as cuts of meat, relishes, sauces, par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components that a cook requires for the menu items that they expect to prepare during their shift.

The perception of having everything in its place as applied to the work in a kitchen is likely to have become a staple around the time of Auguste Escoffier, who is well known for his growth of the brigade system of running a kitchen.

So my ingredients were done and making it was quite a simple task. As I give you the recipe (please try at home it’s super easy) I realized that some times some very basic component concoction creates great flavours.

1 C Coconut Milk

1 C Heavy Cream

½ C Sugar (Castor)

1 Chopped lemon Grass stalk

1 White Tea Bag

Zest of Orange

Vanilla to taste

2 tsp Gelatin Powder

1/8 C Water to bloom the gelatine.

Add all the ingredients Except Water and gelatine in a pan. I had Flavoured White tea at home (Guava and Pineapple). FYI: White tea is the uncured unfermented tea leaf thus leaving a very subtle taste on your palate. It comes from the Chinese province of Fujian. Anyhow so you mix everything and bring it to a boil and then let it sit for about 40 minutes or so.

Meanwhile you add gelatine and water and keep it aside. Once your cream mixture is ready strain it. And melt the gelatine and add to the recipe.

Add the mixture to any desired shaped dish. I like to add them to a small dish so I can do an individual serving. And let it set. It takes about 2- 3 hours to set. Voila your dessert is ready.

Take any fruits that are available at home and decorate it on top. I prefer mangoes, kiwi sour grapes…the tartness of the fruits compliments the sweetness of the dessert. Sometimes I also coat the grapes with the silver foil (you get at any mithai shop).

The photographer came. Big guy I must say. Super hot weather and no electricity, deadly combo!! The poor panna cotta was melting and almost falling apart. Did the shoot, wish I was a camera friendly person. I offered the photographer the same dessert after the shoot “sorry Kishi – I am on a diet” he said. I smile and convinced him that it was quite refreshing and light. I guess he was enticed so he tried…2 minutes later the dish had disappeared!!!