So easy, no special skills required, and no spikes in blood sugar either. Just creamy panna cotta and a delicious fruity compote, both made with a natural sugar substitute. This panna cotta can be easily made vegetarian/vegan by using agar-agar to thicken (see note below) and using all coconut milk.

Serves 6

2 c heavy cream (for vegan, use all coconut milk)
3 T Allulose, Swerve, Erythritol or 10-15 drops Stevia extract
2 t powdered gelatin (I use Great Lakes) or 1 envelope unflavored gelatin, or about 1 1⁄2 t agar-agar* powder for vegetarian/vegan
3 T cold water (if using gelatin)
2 pieces of orange rind, shaved off with a vegetable peeler
1 sprig rosemary
1 1⁄2 t vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
Low-Carb No Sugar Strawberry Compote for garnish

Combine cream, sweetener, orange rind, and rosemary sprig 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, cover the pan, add in vanilla and stir. Let mixture steep 5-10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine water with gelatin to bloom gelatin (see note below if using agar-agar).

Remove cream mixture from the heat and stir in the gelatin. Stir for a minute or two to ensure gelatin has melted into the hot cream mixture. Strain mixture into a measuring cup with a spout. Portion panna cotta into ramekins, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight to set.

To serve, spoon 2 tablespoons of compote on top of each panna cotta. Or, run a hot knife around the outside of each custard and invert onto a serving plate. Spoon some compote around the sides.

Sugar-Free Fig Compote

Makes about 1 cup

12 figs, stemmed and halved
1 cup blueberries or raspberries, fresh or frozen
1⁄2 c sweetener (Allulose, Erythritol, Swerve, Xylitol)
1⁄2 c kirsch or Grand Marnier (or water)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine figs, berries, sweetener, and kirsch in a pie plate or baking dish. Stir to combine and roast for 35 minutes.

Let compote cool, then refrigerate. Keep up to 3 weeks refrigerated or freeze up to 3 months.

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.

Rosemary Panna Cotta with Sugar-Free Fig Compote