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Panna Cotta with Citrus Honey Compote

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Panna Cotta is one of my daughters favorite desserts.  She loves it so much that she wanted it served at her wedding.  The caterer met her wishes and made over 300 in half pint mason jars.  The Panna Cotta was topped with fresh berries that were in season.  They were a beautiful addition to the dessert table. Guests raved.  

I have continued to make my cultured butter and have several quarts of this amazing buttermilk in my refrigerator just waiting to make something delicious.  The buttermilk that is drained off of the butter is amazingly creamy and smooth.  It just had to be used for something special.  Then the thought came to me Buttermilk Panna Cotta.  They creaminess of the buttermilk would only enhance this dessert.  
I decided to top the Panna Cotta with some of my Arizona citrus (just placed another order btw).  
You will love this extremely simple, refreshing dessert.
You will need:

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons gelatin
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Citrus of your choice: 1 orange, 1 grapefruit, 1 blood orange
2 Tablespoons honey
fresh mint

In a medium size saucepan pour in 1 cup of the cream.
The cream, buttermilk mixture is thickened by using 1 1/2 teaspoons of  gelatin.  
This is what you need to remember about gelatin:
1)  The gelatin must be softened first.  Sprinkle the 1 1/2 teaspoons of gelatin over the cream and let this sit for 5 minutes without stirring.
2) The gelatin must be dissolved and heated.  
Over medium-low heat stir the gelatin/cream mixture gently until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
Add the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream.  (forgot to get this picture)
Add 1/2 cup sugar and gently stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Add 1 1/2 cups buttermilk.  
Heat until the buttermilk is just barely hot.  Buttermilk for some reason curdles if it gets hot.  I don’t want curdled buttermilk in my Panna Cotta.  I tested the mixture by sticking my pinkie finger into the mixture, when it felt hot I removed the pan from the heat.
Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
Ladle into jars or ramekins.
If bubbles appear, pop them with a skewer or toothpick.  The bubbles will set like the rest of the mixture.  I just really don’t want bubbles on top of my Panna Cotta.
One last step.  
3) The gelatin mixture must be chilled in order to set.
Let’s go over the gelatin rules again:
1) Soften gelatin
2) Heat and dissolve gelatin
3) Chill gelatin
That’s it.  I’m placing the jars on a towel lined baking dish just to make it easier to slide in and out of the refrigerator without the jars sliding all over the place.  The gelatin now needs to refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.  I’m going to chill overnight, which makes this a fabulous make ahead dessert.

For the citrus compote you will need an 1 orange, 1 blood orange and 1 grapefruit OR whatever citrus you may have, a spoonful of honey and some fresh mint.

Cut the top and bottom of the orange off.

Remove the outer peel.

Remove as much of the peel and white part as you can.

Cut each section of the orange with a sharp knife.

Coarsely chop the orange.


Place in a small bowl.

Repeat the process with the grapefruit.

Add to the oranges.

Repeat with the blood orange.  I love the color this gives the compote as well as a unique sweetness.

Gather the fresh mint together and stack the leaves.

Slice into a fine chiffonade or thin strips.

I’m only using about a teaspoon.  I don’t want mint to be the strongest flavor in the compote.  You can adjust to your liking.

I really like the flavor of minty citrus.

Toss into the bowl of citrus.

Hopefully you have some raw honey.  If not, just use what you like.

Support you local bees if possible.

My citrus is quite sweet.  I’m only going to add about 1 tablespoon.

Stir and then let sit for about 10 – 20 minutes so the compote releases more juice.

 Remove Panna Cotta from the refrigerator and top with compote.

So easy to make.  Refreshing and light.  
You can use any seasonal fruit. Berries are amazing in the summer.
C’est magnafique.

 Panna Cotta with Citrus Honey Compote


1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons gelatin
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Citrus Compote:
1 orange
1 grapefruit
1 blood orange
1 – 2 Tablespoons honey
fresh mint
In a medium sauce pan, add 1 cup of the heavy cream.  Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of powdered gelatin over the cream.  Let mixture stand undisturbed for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes stir the gelatin into the cream and place over medium-low heat.  Gently stir until the mixture is hot and gelatin has dissolved.  Add the remaining 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup sugar.  Continue to stir over heat until the sugar has dissolved.  Add 1 1/2 cups buttermilk.  Continue to heat, but do not let the mixture boil.  Heat until mixture is hot to the touch.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Ladle into jars or ramekins.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Makes 5-6 servings
To make Citrus Compote:
Peel and section the citrus.  Cut into bite size pieces.  Add honey and gently stir.  Cut fresh mint into fine a fine chiffonade.  Let sit for 30 minutes for flavors to marry.  Can be made a few hours in advance.





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Comments

    • It could mean that the cream/milk mixture was too hot. After researching, the milk should never simmer or boil. The gelatin should be dissolved over low heat. That should correct the problem.

      Reply

  5. Ok, I made it yesterday. Perfectly AWESOME panna cotta, not so awesome citrus compote. I'm making it again around July when it's citrus season here in Argentina.
    Would Eglantine Rose honey work well with the citrus? I used some regular honey this time, but the other one is so wonderful!

    Reply

    • I think your honey sounds divine and would definitely try it. You can top the Panna Cotta with any fruit that may be in season. You don't even have to top it with anything. I'm so glad it turned out perfect. Thank you for your comment.

      Reply

  7. Have I mentioned how much I love your new site? It's perfection. Now about this panna cotta. I don't think I've ever been more upset that I couldn't have something RIGHT NOW than I am right now. Things I adore: Dairy based anything, and citrus. So this is pretty much my dream dessert. I will be making this verrrrrry soon. And then I will report back! Also…I'm glad your husband gets to race! I voted for him!

    Reply

    • Once again, Reyna, thank you for your kind comments. Double thank you for voting for the old man. What a shocker. I didn't expect that to happen. Whew the Christmas gift actually worked out. I can't wait to hear how your Panna Cotta turns out. Report back.

      Reply

  9. Hi Janet! That sounds delicious!
    The buttermilk curdles because the casein (the protein from the milk), turns insoluble (curdles) when heated in an acidic medium. Where does it come the acid? When you cultured the cream with the yogurt, the bacteria ate the lactose (the sugar in the milk) and produced lactic acid.

    Reply

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