Balsamic Berry Panna Cotta
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Panna cotta means cooked cream in Italian. The vinegar reduction used here brings a zingy, refined punch to the berries, and it pairs extremely well with the creamy taste of the strawberry panna cotta. Just be sure not to cook the reduction on too high a temperature, otherwise it will taste bitter and remain vinegary. I have quite a few acquaintances who are allergic to nuts, so for equality’s sake I used tofu here instead of the cashew cream the vegan world loves so much. If you would rather go with cashews, soak the raw cashews in a generous amount of filtered water overnight. Drain and rinse them, and blend them with just enough water to get to the texture of firm silken tofu. You will need approximately 1 cup (120 g) raw cashews to yield 8 ounces (227 g) of cashew cream to replace the tofu in this recipe.
Author: Celine Steen
Serves: 8 desserts
Ingredients
Berries
- ½ cup (120ml) white balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons (13g) agave nectar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Generous ½ cup (90g) fresh blackberries, gently washed and thoroughly drained
- Generous ½ cup (90g) fresh blueberries, gently washed and thoroughly drained
Berry Vegan Panna Cotta
- 1 cup (195g) gently packed and slightly heaping chopped fresh strawberries
- 1 tablespoon (12g) evaporated cane juice
- ¼ cup (80g) agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- Pinch coarse kosher salt
- Oil, for molds
- ¾ cup (180ml) coconut cream
- 8 ounces (227g) silken tofu
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon (3g) agar powder
- Dried culinary rose petals, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- To make the berries, place the vinegar and agave in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat and simmer until reduced to about 3 tablespoons (45 ml). You can eyeball this; the reduction should be thickened and light golden. Be sure to stir frequently while simmering. Reducing the vinegar will take approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Set aside to cool.
- Once cooled, and only 30 minutes before serving the dessert, gently fold the berries into the syrup.
- To make the panna cotta, place the berries and cane juice in a heat-proof medium-sized glass bowl. Gently fold, cover and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Combine in a small blender with the agave, vanilla and salt. Blend until smooth.
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Transfer back to the medium bowl.
- Very lightly brush eight 3 ¼ x 1 ¼ -inch (8.3 x 3.2-cm) mini brioche molds (or any mold of similar size) with oil. Set aside.
- Place the coconut cream, tofu and lemon juice in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Transfer to a small saucepan. Whisk the agar into the mixture. Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes to activate the agar.
- Pour this mixture on top of the strawberry mixture, and whisk to thoroughly combine.
- Divide among the prepared molds. Let cool to room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator to firm for at least 3 hours.
- Remove the panna cotta from the molds by shaking gently to coax them out. If they resist, use a toothpick to help release them.
- Serve with the berries, and add rose petals as decoration if desired.
Notes
This recipe is reprinted with permissions from Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking: Healthy Plant-Based Recipes with a Kick by Celine Steen
Recipe by Go Dairy Free at https://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/balsamic-berry-vegan-panna-cotta