Oh, Sweet Summertime!
I was rambling on and on recently about my lack of garden veggies and fruits this year. But, I neglected to mention those delights that I tend to take for granted. Each year, my fig trees put out a bounty of the most delicious, perfect figs. Of course, I have to rush to get them before the birds, but I manage to wrestle a few away. This Buttermilk and Yogurt Panna Cotta with Caramelized Figs and Honey is the perfect salute to all things I love about summer. A creamy, rich bite of cool custard-like goodness topped with a perfectly crunchy, sweet, honey-caramelized fig on top.
The added benefit, it’s much lighter than most Panna Cotta recipes that are made with heavy cream. But, you won’t even realize it. It’s positively dreamy and tastes so rich.
Buttermilk is a staple in our house. Do you cook with it? It adds a rich and tangy taste to many recipes that otherwise call for heavy cream, lots of egg yolks or even mayonnaise. I pair it frequently with Greek yogurt in lots of recipes, just like this one!
Panna Cotta is super easy to make and everyone tells me how amazing I am when they taste it. I like that in a dessert 😁. It can also look very elegant which is great when you don’t have a lot of time to make a long and involved dessert for guests.
Gelatin
I’m going to show my age now, but here goes. When I was a kid, I remember the box of plain, Knox, unflavored gelatin in our pantry. The only reason it popped out at me was that our last name is Knox. Other than that, it was a complete mystery to me. Like, bluck, right?
It was probably the original box my mom purchased when she’d tried to make one of the very “of the day” Julia Child, inspired French aspic recipes. I’m pretty sure it was in the shape of a salmon. Did you have those molds hanging in your kitchen?
Aspic is savory gelatin made with meat stock or broth, set in a mold to encase other ingredients. These often include pieces of meat, seafood, vegetable, or eggs. Aspic is also sometimes referred to as aspic gelée or aspic jelly. Nope, we don’t see those around much anymore.
Gelatin is not vegan. For a vegan version, with a similar result, you can use agar agar. While gelatin is derived from animals, agar agar is plant-based.
Panna Cotta
Well, my unflavored gelatin thoughts have taken a 180º since then. One of my favorite uses, Panna Cotta. You can make almost anything you can imagine into a sweet and lighter version of a custard or pudding with this stuff. It’s all Panna Cotta to me. An Italian dessert of sweetened cream thickened with gelatin and molded. The cream may be aromatized with coffee, vanilla, or other flavorings. Once you become familiar with using the gelatin and how it transforms the ingredients, you can make all types of Panna Cotta, from decadent and rich to versions like this one, a bit lighter and still amazing.
I have lots of favorite Panna Cotta Recipes, here’s a link to another delicious and easy recipe, Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis. It’s non-dairy, made with coconut milk: https://www.blossomandfinn.com/2020/10/17/panna-cotta-with-raspberry-coulis-dairy-free-gluten-free/
Buttermilk and Yogurt Panna Cotta with Caramelized Figs and Honey
I like to make mine with an infusion of vanilla bean. If you don’t have a fresh vanilla bean, you can substitute it with vanilla extract instead. But, if you can get your hands on a fresh vanilla bean, the flavor will be intensified, not to mention all the pretty little bits of the bean that will be seen in the Panna Cotta.
Add 1 1/2 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin powder to a small dish with about 1-2 tablespoons of water. Let sit about 10 minutes to “bloom”. This means that the gelatin will absorb the water and turn into a jelly-like blob.
Into a small saucepan add 1 cup of whole milk with 1 whole scraped vanilla bean. To get the seeds from the bean, cut the bean in half, then scrape out the seeds using a small knife.
Add the beans to the milk and toss in the pod as well. As the milk heats and steeps, more of the fresh vanilla bean flavor will be released into the milk.
Heat the milk, vanilla with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, on low, and make sure it does not come to a boil. Gently stir to be sure all the sugar has melted. Once it begins to simmer, turn off the heat and let the mixture sit.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup Greek yogurt with 1 cup of buttermilk. You can use non-fat, 2% or whole yogurt. I use non-fat with reduced-fat buttermilk. Set aside.
Into the warm milk, add the bloomed gelatin and whisk to combine, making sure all the gelatin has melted into the mixture. Slowly add the warm milk into the yogurt/buttermilk, whisking to combine.
Pour the panna cotta into ramekins or small glasses. You can make 4 servings, about 6 ounces each, or 6 small servings, about 3.5 ounces each.
Put the Panna cottas into the refrigerator to chill and firm, at least 3 hours.
Caramelized Figs and Honey
Split 4-6 figs in half. Put them onto a baking sheet lined with either foil or parchment paper. Top each fig with about 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar.
Broil them on high for about 5 minutes, watching constantly. They are done once the top of the figs starts to turn brown.
Remove the Panna Cotta from the refrigerator. Top each with 1 or 2 halves of the caramelized figs. Top the figs with a light drizzle of honey.
Serve and enjoy!
Buttermilk and Yogurt Panna Cotta with Figs and Honey
Ingredients
For the Panna Cotta
- 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
- 1-2 tablespoon water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup milk (whole, or 2%)
- 1 cup buttermilk (reduced fat)
- 1 cup plain Greek Yogurt (whole, 2% or nonfat)
- 1 vanilla bean
For the Caramalized Figs and Honey Topping
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4-6 figs
Instructions
For the Panna Cotta
- Add 1 1/2 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin powder to a small dish with about 1-2 tablespoons of water.
- Let sit about 10 minutes to "bloom".
- Into a small sauce pan add 1 cup of whole milk with 1 whole scraped vanilla bean.
- To get the seeds from the bean, cut the bean in half, then scrape out the seeds using a small knife.
- Add the beans to the milk and the pod as well.
- As the milk heats and steeps, more of the fresh vanilla bean flavor will be released in the milk.
- Heat the milk, vanilla with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, on low and make sure it does not come to a boil.
- Gently stir to be sure all the sugar has melted.
- Once it begins to simmer, turn of the heat and let the mixture sit.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup Greek yogurt with 1 cup of buttermilk.
- Into the warm milk, add the bloomed gelatin and whisk to combine, making sure all the gelatin has melted into the mixture.
- Slowly add the warm milk into the yogurt/buttermilk, whisking to combine.
- Pour the panna cottas into ramekins or small glasses.
- (You can make 4 servings, about 6 ounces each or 6 small servings, about 3.5 ounces each.)
- Put the panna cottas into the refrigerator to chill and firm, at least 3 hours.
For the Caramelized Figs and Honey Topping
- Split 4-6 figs in half.
- Put them onto a baking sheet lined with either foil or parchment paper.
- Top each fig with about 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar.
- Broil them on high for about 5 minutes, watching constantly.
- They are done once the top of the figs start to turn brown.
- Remove the Panna Cotta from the refrigerator.
- Top each with 1 or 2 halves of the caramalized figs.
- Top the figs with a light drizzle of honey.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com and https://www.blossomandfinn.com
