For those of you who are like the Goddess, this recipe avoids sugar and dairy. It is not particularly sweet. I humbly lay this at your feet.
This whimsical preparation is a delight in the mouth, a riot of flavour and a very fine texture. The coconut cream has a very full mouthfeel that is perfect done in this way.
The beauty of this dish is that it can be made ahead and just assembled. Thin walled ramekins are easiest to unmould from.
I’d like to do this dish with something other than sugar, but attempts with stevia leave an unpleasant metallic flavour. I will update once I have tried other sweeteners
Coconut Cream Pannacotta
- Coconut oil to brush the moulds
- 8 ramekins or tin moulds
- 1 can of full fat unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 can of full fat unsweetened coconut cream
- 3 sheets of unflavoured gelatin (or one packet powdered)
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of coconut extract
- 1 sprig of fresh mint per serving
Warm ½ cup of the milk in a saucepan, remove from the heat, and add the gelatin. Let stand for 5 minutes until it has soaked up and swelled, then begin whisking to make it smooth. Add the rest of the milk, return it to the heat, but do not let it boil, just heat it gently, whisking all the while, until it is completely smooth. Pour in the cream, sugar, and coconut extract, stir well, and pour into the ramekins before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating until chilled and set, about 4 hours.
At serving time, to unmould, soak each mould in warm water up to the rim, place a plate on top, and flip until the pannacotta drops free. Garnish with the below before serving, including a sprig of mint.
Honey Rum Jelly
- Coconut oil to brush the tin
- 4 tablespoons of unsweetened gelatin (or 4 sheets)
- 1 cup of spiced rum
- 2 cups of boiling water
- ¾ cup of honey
- 1 teaspoon of stevia
- Juice of 1 lemon
Soften the gelatin in the rum for 5 minutes. Add the boiling water and whisk until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Add the honey, stevia, and lemon juice. Stir. This will just about fill a low-sided 10×12 inch baking tin. Set in the refrigerator to chill. Once set, you can store it like this covered. Before serving, invert over a plate, place a hot towel to unmould, then slice the jelly into squares. Keep refrigerated. For serving, sprinkle a good quantity of rum jelly around the pannacotta to decorate, sweeten and add a kick.
Dried Pineapple Flowers
- One ripe pineapple
- Cake cooling rack and baking sheet
Preheat the oven to 90°C/200°F/Gas Mark ¼
Peel the pineapple, taking care to cut through to remove the nodes. Slice the pineapple as thin as you can, a mandolin is ideal for this. A semi-frozen pineapple is easier to cut (but do not freeze through—just get it almost there).
Dry the pineapple slices using a tea towel. Place the cake rack on the baking sheet and arrange the pineapple slices so they are not touching.
Bake in the centre of the oven for up to 3 hours, until they are dried and the edges are crisp. Carefully place the warm slices into muffin cups to get them to bend into shape. Allow them to cool completely to take shape and stiffen.
They will keep well in an airtight container.
When serving, decorate each pannacotta with a flower and a sprig of mint.
This serves 8. Enjoy.
Cook’s Notes: If you prefer a sweeter pineapple slice, poach them in a solution of sugar-water with 2 cups of sugar and 1 litre of water. Bring the sugar water to the boil, add the pineapple slices, remove from the heat, cover, and let cool to room temperature, before proceeding as above.
If you prefer to make a tuile cookie instead of the pineapple slices, proceed as follows.
- 300 ml of pineapple juice
- 100 ml of coconut oil
- 40 g flour
- 5 g powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
Whisk together the ingredients. Cook like pancakes in a large no-stick pan, until golden. Remove to a rack to cool, or curve over a large rolling pin.