Recipe for a special Valentine’s dessert of coconut panna cotta with strawberry and raspberry hearts.
Course Dessert
Cuisine European, International, Italian, Latin fusion
Keyword Berry hearts, Coconut, Coconut panna cotta, Gelatin, panna cotta, Valentine's Day
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Refrigeration time 6 hourshours
Total Time 40 minutesminutes
Servings 8- 12 panna cottas, depending on size
Ingredients
For the strawberry raspberry gelatin hearts (make ahead of time):
1lbof strawberrieswashed and stems removed
4ouncesof raspberrieswashed
½cupof water
¼cupof sugaradjust to taste
0.5oz/ 14grams / 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
For the coconut panna cotta:
0.5oz/ 14grams / 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
2cupsof milk
114 oz can of coconut milk
1cupof heavy cream
¼cupto ½ cup of sugaradjust to taste
1teaspoonvanilla extract
¼cupto ½ cup of grated coconutfresh or dry - optional
Instructions
For the strawberry raspberry gelatin hearts (make ahead of time):
Chop a few of the strawberries, set aside and save to use for decorating. You can also save a few raspberries.
Blend the rest of the strawberries and raspberries with the sugar and water. Taste and adjust the amount of sugar (if desired). Strain the mix; you should have about 2 cups of pureed fruit.
Place ½ cup of the berry puree in a large bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it to soften the gelatin.
Heat the other 1 ½ cups of the strawberry raspberry puree until it is hot and almost boiling.
Combine the warm strawberry raspberry puree together with the gelatin and the cold puree. Mix until the gelatin is well dissolved.
Pour the mix into a rectangular glass mold or into a heart-shaped ice cube tray. Add the chopped strawberries and/or whole raspberries on top.
Refrigerate for a few hours or until the strawberry raspberry gelatin has set and is firm.
Use a small heart shaped cookie cutter or other hearts molds to cut out heart shapes. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
For the coconut panna cotta:
Put ½ cup of cold milk in a bowl and sprinkle with gelatin to soften
In a medium sized pot, heat the coconut milk, the rest of the milk, the heavy cream, and the sugar until the mix starts to boil.
Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
Gently stir in the softened gelatin mix and stir well.
To make sure the texture of the panna cotta extra smooth you can pour the coconut cream mix through a mesh strainer, this well help remove any clumps. If using grated coconut, add it after this step.
Add the fresh or dry grated coconut.
For the Valentine’s coconut panna cotta with berry hearts:
Place the strawberry raspberry gelatin hearts in the bottom of the molds (if unmolding) or on the side if using clear glasses. You can also add them on top after the panna cotta has started to set.
Pour the coconut panna cotta mix into serving glasses or molds according to your preference.
Let the mix cool down and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, overnight is ideal.
Serve directly in the glasses or remove from molds. Garnish with your choice of fresh fruit, fruit sauce, dulce de leche or caramel, chocolate - or simply serve alone.
Notes
You can use the leftover scraps of the berry gelatin to make a quick dessert, put them in a glass or small bowl with fresh fruit and a bit of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.