Citrus Panna Cotta with Fruit Compote for Daring Baker Challenge ~ My Fruit Basket

Panna cotta it is.... Had made a firm resolve to make the Daring Baker Challenge well in time instead of panicking in the last few days n scrambling to finish it.... It sure looks like a simple recipe... It's just about cooking the ingredients together... getting the flavours right.... n pop it in the refrigerator to set.... How Difficult can that be.... Wait n Watch in the post below how I managed to complicate my life beyond words.....

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

Winters in Delhi is abundant with fresh fruit flooding the market... I decided to take full advantage of that and make lots of fruit flavours for the Daring Baker Challenge of Panna Cotta... but I must admit that being so overwhelmed and absorbed with the Panna Cotta, I never got around to making the cookies.

My choice of flavours was Strawberry, Grape, Pineapple, Pomegranate and Orange n Lemon as the citrus base... While so many fruits were happening, how could I miss Chocolate and Coffee.... :)

Panna cotta (from Italian cooked cream) is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. It is generally from the Northern Italian region of Piemonte, although it is eaten all over Italy, where it is served with wild berries, caramel, chocolate sauce or fruit coulis. It is not known exactly how or when this dessert came to be, but some theories suggest that cream, for which mountainous Northern Italy is famous, was historically eaten plain or sweetened with fruit or hazelnuts. Earlier recipes for the dish used boiled fish bones in place of gelatin; sugar, later a main ingredient, would not have been widely available as it was an expensive imported commodity. After years this treat evolved into what is now a gelatin dessert, flavored with vanilla and topped with fruit or spices, and served chilled.
Somewhat similar versions of this dish are found in Greece, France and Finland. [Source:Wikipedia].

This was the Pineapple Panna Cotta... made a pineapple compote [jam like thick sauce by boiling pineapple juice, fresh pineapple and some sugar.] to go with the citrus flavours in the panna cotta

The pineapple citrus panna cotta was very refreshing and a very distinct taste....

Citrus Panna Cotta With Fruit Compote

Ingredients
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon (one packet) (15 ml) (7 gm) (¼ oz) unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups (720 ml) whipping cream (30+% butterfat)
1/3 cup (80 ml) honey
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) granulated sugar
Zest of 1 orange and 2 lemons
Fresh fruit of your choice [juice/jam of the fruit is optional]
pinch of salt

Method
1. Make the fruit compote by boiling together fruit juice/jam, fresh fruit and sugar as per taste and the fresh fruit used.
2. Pour the milk into a bowl or pot and sprinkle gelatin evenly and thinly over the milk (make sure the bowl/pot is cold by placing the bowl/pot in the refrigerator for a few minutes before you start making the Panna Cotta). Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.
3. Pour the cream into the saucepan/pot and place over medium heat on the stove. Heat this mixture until it is hot, but not boiling, about five minutes. Stir continuously.
4. Next, add the honey, sugar, vanilla and pinch of salt. Making sure the mixture doesn’t boil, add the milk and gelatin, continue to heat and stir occasionally until the sugar and honey have dissolved in 5-7 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly. Then pour into the glass or ramekin in which the fruit compote has already been set..
6. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. Add garnishes and serve.

My neighbour had a special request for Pomegranate as a flavour.... How can I turn down someone who requests for a flavour... So on our way back from watching the movie 'Band Baaja Baarat', we picked up pomegranate juice..... Pomegranate Panna cotta here we come....

I realized that pomegranate juice is way too watery for reducing into a saucy consistency without loosing it's flavour... So I used the fruit in it's entire goodness... My neighbour refused to get himself clicked while eating it..... He liked it enough to take back some more for his dad and girlfriend..... That's testimony enough for me....

Another fruit which I haven't used in it's fresh form while baking is Grapes.... Another challenge over come by way of Grape Panna Cotta...

My sister and her friend Sharath loved the grape panna cotta. They were extremely amused while watching me photograph the panna cotta. They knew from previous experience of the Swiss Swirl Icecream Cake that they'll just have to wait for the goodies till I was done taking pictures :) Having waited quite impatiently thru the photography session, watching me ooohhh and aaahhhh when I upturned the panna cotta n release it from the silicon cups, their amusement was boundless.....

Another friend of my sister from school had come over, Anubha.... She choose to have the Chocolate panna cotta.... I sometimes wonder why most of us cannot see beyond chocolate... everything chocolate is good and made even better with Coffeeeeeeee........

This is.. These were the remains of a Coffee, Chocolate layered Panna Cotta which was polished off in a matter of seconds.... Am I complaining.... absolutely not..... We fought over it with spoons n were giggling like kids.... Sharath was seen sulking as my sister n I gobbled up the majority of it.... Sharath don't worry will certainly make some more for you..... Ok I heard you LOUD n CLEAR..... LOTS-MORE-ONLY-FOR-SHARATH..... :)

Saved the sweetest n cutest ones till the end of the post Strawberry Panna Cotta.... The market is now getting fewer and fewer of these amazing luscious berries which I can never get enough of....

I didn't have to work very hard to make the strawberry compote, it was a breeze. Have been having so much fun with strawberries this season. The Strawberry n Almond Brownies, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries for Valentines and Strawberry Peppermint Brownies.

The shot glasses made me practice how to make angled layers.... Awww.... Don't they look so pretty... The pink blush of strawberries.... :)))))

Strawberry Pannacotta and Strawberry Brownies with Strawberry Crush..... am I tripping on strawberries... oh yes I am..... I had to bid them an appropriate adieu.... Bye bye strawberries, but only till next year... Will wait for ya.... :))))

Verdict:

Had just way too much fun making these and sharing them with everyone.... It's so simple to make and absolutely heavenly n creamy. An absolute keeper which should be repeated many times over for the sheer ease of producing something fantastic in such little time :)