I decided to try this panna cotta because it has a lot of interesting flavors that come together to create a relaxing texture and taste with a modern and exotic twist thanks to the lavender molasses and jelly layer. This is sure to be a crowd pleaser. It takes quite a bit of time, so make sure you’re in the cooking mood before beginning. This is not an easy recipe, but it is SO worth it once you taste it or serve it to your friends. Enjoy!
The ingredients you’ll need:
2 cups whole milk
2 cups cream
2 tablespoons Lavender buds
5 teaspoons gelatin powder
8 tablespoons cold water
1/3 cup honey- I used California Blueberry honey which gave it a nice flavor
½ cup and 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 whole pomegranate
4 cups pomegranate juice: usually one glass jar full
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
Other materials:
-Porcelain ramekins or some kind of mold. I used measuring cups and even clear glasses for a modern flare.
-Flavorless cooking spray
-Squeeze bottle for molasses
-Deep Sauce Pan with a tight fitting lid
-Strainer or cheesecloth
-Wooden Spoon
-Spatula
Start off with 2 cups cream and 2 cups whole milk in a sauce pan and add the 2 tablespoons of lavender buds and bring to a simmer stirring often with a wooden spoon. Once the cream-milk-lavender mixture has reached a simmer, take off heat and cover with a tight fitting lid and let steep for 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, spread the 4½ tablespoons gelatin evenly over the 6 tablespoons cold water and let bloom for 5 minutes.
Once the lavender mixture has steeped for 8 minutes, take out the lavender buds by means of a strainer or cheese cloth and return the cream and milk to the saucepan. Add the 1/3 cup honey, 2 tablespoons sugar, gelatin that has bloomed for 5 minutes over medium heat until gelatin and honey have dissolved completely. Take off heat and let cool briefly. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and stir evenly.
Prepare your molds by spraying them with a flavorless cooking spray and pour the panna cotta mixture into the molds. Place the molds into an undisturbed refrigerator for 3 hours.
While your panna cottas are setting in the refrigerator, you can being preparing the pomegranate molasses. Take 3½ cups of pomegranate juice, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and ½ cup of sugar and combine in a saucepan. Let simmer on low heat for 80-90 minutes depending on how thick you want your molasses. If you are looking for more of a syrup, cook for 60-70 minutes. Stir occasionally with a spatula to scrape the sides of the sauce pan and cook evenly. Do not let boil and do not cover the mixture because the evaporated water will collect on the lid and fall back into the mixture and take longer! For molasses, the mixture will reduce down to a cup or so and will not seem like molasses until it cools so don’t worry if it doesn’t seem to be thickening enough. After time is up, let cool in the sauce pan briefly and pour into squeeze bottle to cool but do not cover it until it is completely cooled.
Now take your whole pomegranate and slice it in half and begin spooning out the seeds and store in a Tupperware for later use.
After your lavender panna cottas have set, you can begin making your pomegranate jelly layer. Pour ½ cup of pomegranate juice in a sauce pan. Combine ½ teaspoon of gelatin and 2 tablespoons cold water and let bloom for 5 minutes. Bring juice to a simmer. Add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Once dissolved, take off heat and let cool. At this point, you can add red food color if you want a more dramatic. I didn’t add food coloring because I liked the organic and natural color of the pomegranate. It is VERY important that you let the mixture cool until right before it starts to solidify because otherwise it will melt the panna cotta when your pour it ontop. Once cooled, pour evenly over the panna cottas and return to the refrigerator for another 4 hours.
You’re almost done! After four long hours, take the panna cottas out of the molds. The best way I have found to do this is using a very sharp knife and carefully cutting the panna cotta from the mold on one side and letting gravity do the rest. Make sure you place the panna cotta on the plate where you want it because it is very hard to move it after it is removed from its mold. Then take the squeeze bottle and decorate the panna cotta and sprinkle with fresh pomegranate seeds. Phew! Done! Here’s my finished product.
I also tried this recipe again and when plating, I took a spoonful of honey and made a streak on the side of plate. The color of the honey complemented the richness of the pomegranate. Feel free to share your modifications! Enjoy!
