Spiced Panna Cotta with Bourbon Salted Caramel
Really easy, no special skills required, and a little tang from the addition of yogurt and fall spices. Just add caramel and you have a decadent dessert. The panna cotta can be easily made vegetarian/vegan by using agar-agar to thicken (see note below) and using all coconut milk.
Serves 6
1 c heavy cream (vegan, use coconut milk)
1 c plain whole milk yogurt
½ c granulated sugar
2 t powdered gelatin (I use Great Lakes) or 1 envelope unflavored gelatin, or about 1 ½ t agar-agar* powder for vegetarian/vegan
3 T cold water (if using gelatin)
¼ t ground cinnamon
⅛ t ground nutmeg
1 ½ t vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
Bourbon Salted Caramel (recipe below)
Combine cream and sweetener in a small saucepan. Whisk to mix well and heat over a medium-low flame to just before the boiling point. Turn off the heat, add the nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla and stir, and cover the pan. Let mixture steep 5-10 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine water with gelatin to bloom gelatin (see note below if using agar-agar).
Stir the gelatin into the cream mixture, ensuring gelatin has melted into the warm cream mixture. Portion panna cotta into ramekins, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight to set.
To serve, spoon 2 tablespoons of caramel over each panna cotta.
*Note: Unlike gelatin, agar-agar (a vegetarian gelatin substitute made from red algae) needs to cook for 4-5 minutes at a simmer, stirring (175 degrees) to activate it’s thickening properties. And it doesn’t have to be bloomed in water like gelatin. Just mix it in with your sugar substitute. The agar-agar will cook for the required time in the compote, but for the panna cotta, you’ll have to mix it into the hot cream/coconut milk and simmer 4-5 minutes.
Bourbon Salted Caramel Sauce
1 c sugar
2 T corn syrup (optional)
¼ c water
½ t cream of tartar (keeps sugar from crystallizing)
⅓ c heavy whipping cream
2 T unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (if you have cultured butter, use it for more tang)
1 t sea salt
2 t vanilla bean paste, or extract
1-2 T bourbon (optional)
Pour sugar, corn syrup, water, and cream of tartar into a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Cook the sugar mixture over medium heat, whisking, until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil rapidly and cook, without stirring, until the caramel turns deep amber color. If you see dried sugar on the sides of the pan, use a pastry brush dipped in cold water to brush down the sides of the pan and dissolve that sugar.
Once the sugar is dark amber color, turn off heat and carefully add the cream (the mixture will rise dramatically in the pan and sputter), and whisk to combine. Use a long handled whisk if you have one. If any bits of caramel have solidified, set the pan back over low heat and stir gently until they melt. Stir in the butter, salt, vanilla and bourbon. Pour caramel into a heat-proof measuring cup and allow to cool to room temperature.