Panna = Cream

Cotta = Cooked

COOKED CREAM! Got it?

You learn something new everyday!

Shopping at my favorite specialty grocery store I came across batches of lychees.  I was intrigued because I have never tried a lychee before so I grabbed a bunch since they were about $1.50 a pound.

The texture, once you peel the scaly skin, is almost like a grape.  I discarded the seed and ate one right away. I was expecting a bitter taste but they were sweet and delicious.  I’ve never tasted the popular Italian dessert, panna cotta, much less made it before.  I felt the lychees would go great with the cream so I recipe tested to get a perfect Lychee Panna Cotta.

Panna Cotta is extremely easy to make, it takes just a few simple ingredients and little to no effort at all besides heating the cream on the stove.  The only bad thing is the wait time.  You basically wait for this creamy treat to form in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin (about 1 tablespoon)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup of lychee puree

1. Pour milk in bowl and stir in the gelatin powder. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, stir together the heavy cream and sugar, and set over medium heat. Bring to a full boil, watching carefully, as the cream will quickly rise to the top of the pan. Pour the gelatin and milk into the cream, stirring until completely dissolved. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla.
3. To puree the lychees, remove skin & seeds and blend in food processor or blender. Run the puree through a sieve and add to cream mixture.
4. Pour mixture into mold(s) or ramekins and refrigerate for 4 hours or preferably overnight.

I don’t own any ramekins so I just used our abundant array of various wine glasses (hey sometimes you gotta improvise)!

Blueberry coulis is a quick easy sauce to add a kick to your desserts.  I made this in literally less than 5 minutes.  The spun sugar took about the same time as well.

I would say my first try was a success!