Pumped-up Panna Cotta

Most people are scarred by memories of their parents' attempts to explain the "birds and the bees". Since I never had that talk as a child, I was most recently scarred by the birthing story of my favorite childhood dessert...

I was reminiscing about "junnu," a dessert that I would rarely get on vacations to India. It was this sweet, custard-like milk and cardamom pudding that I loved. Today, I (mistakenly) decided to Google it. What was in this mysteriously rare childhood treat?

Answer: cow colostrum.

Ah! Not to mention the fact that I selfishly stole the antibody-rich, first milk of many a baby calf, that's just UDDERly unappetizing.

So, I've decided to memorialize my favorite "junnu" into something a little less disturbing...a cardamom infused panna cotta drizzled with a ginger-saffron honey.

For Recipe (Click Read More)

(Serves 8); Prep time: 10 mins; Total time: 3 hours

What you need:

1. Heavy Cream - 4 cups (or you can use half-and-half if you want something less rich).
2. Sugar - 1/2 cup (I use jaggery or cane sugar, but regular sugar is fine)
3. 1 vanilla bean, split down the middle.
4. Whole cardamoms - 6, crush gently with the flat part of a knife.
5. Gelatin powder - unflavored, 2 packets 
6. Cold water - 6 tbsp

*You can substitute 1 tsp vanilla extract for the bean, and 2 tsp cardamon powder and skip the steeping step.

 What you do:

1. Lightly spray 8 custard cups or ramekins with canola or vegetable oil.
2. In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream and sugar on medium heat.
3. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Remove from heat and add the crushed cardamoms and the seeds from the vanilla bean. Cover and let it infuse for 30 minutes (or add the vanilla extract/cardamon powder).
5. After 30 minutes, strain the milk into a new saucepan and heat it up until warm (not boiling).
6. In a medium bowl, add the cold water and stir in the gelatin packets. Let stand for 4-5 minutes.
7. Pour in the warm milk mixture and stir until the gelatin is dissolved.
8. Pour panna cotta mixture into the ramekins and refrigerate for 2-3 hours until they are set.
9. You can serve them as is or plate them.

Done! I like to serve them with a drizzle of a simple syrup made from ginger, saffron and honey. Also great with fresh berries and preserves!