I created this Ground Cherry Coconut Panna Cotta because Panna Cotta is my favorite dessert!
Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert similar to a pudding, actually what it really should be is something between a pudding and a mousse. Light, bouncy, delicate, with a very special creamy but very subtly gelatinous consistency. A good Panna Cotta should make you close your eyes and dream of those big white clouds against an indigo sky! To me it brings back memories of Limone Piemonte, in a very similar way to Proust and his Madleine!
Only one problem here: I do not do dairy anymore….so how to replicate my delicate dream of Panna Cotta?? Well, of course, coconut cream!! So I did a bit of experimenting…(the first version resembled more a bouncy rubber ball than a dessert) and finally assembled the perfect ingredients for a dairy-free sugar free version.
( I was also dying to try my new delicious ground cherries from the garden in some more sophisticated way than stuffing them into my mouth as fast as I can!)
- 4 cups Coconut Cream, divided
- 2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
- 2 tablespoons Swerve
- 1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract
- Puree:
- 1 cup ground cherries
- Panna Cotta:
- Pour ½ cup coconut cream into a medium bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let sit until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the rest of the cream, Swerve, vanilla, in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking until Swerve dissolves. Remove from heat; cover and let steep for 10 minutes.
- Bring cream mixture back to a simmer. Add gelatin mixture and stir until dissolved. Divide among eight ¾-cup cups.(I used small water glasses)
- Chill uncovered until panna cotta is set, at least 6 hours.
- Using a small sharp knife, cut around edges of each panna cotta. Place a small serving plate atop each cup and invert, allowing panna cotta to settle onto plate.
- Puree'
- Husk and wash ground cherries, and put in a food processor.
- Blend until smooth.
- Spoon puree atop the panna cotta and serve immediately
LOVE this! Pinning!
🙂
Is coconut cream the same as coconut butter, or is it the cream that rises to the top in a can of coconut milk?
Lois, you are correct, it is the cream that rises to the top, but you can also buy it in cans of just cream! ( I use it a lot!!)
PS there should be a link to a product I like in the post! 🙂
I have never seen ground cherries in any market, any suggestions ( short of growing them myself, i live in Mass so long shot.)?
I think they are quite rare, if you don’t find them in farmers market you can easily grow them yourself! I got the seeds at http://www.seedsavers.org/