Strawberry Panna Cotta with Strawberry Compote

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Mother's day is just a week away and I wanted to present a few dessert recipes for you to consider before the day is here. The first of the entries is figure friendly and designed for health and diet conscious eaters. It's a panna cotta, and when it's made with small field ripened strawberries, only the cook will know the dessert has been lightened. The key to the success of this dessert, however, lies in the flavor of the berries, and, to be honest, I wouldn't bother with it when local berries are less than prime. Even then, I enhance its flavor with a berry extract, that can be found at the sources listed at the end of the recipe. The recipe for the panna cotta first appeared in Gourmet magazine and can now be found on the Epicurious website. Comments associated with the recipe indicate that some readers had problems getting the panna cotta to stiffen enough for unmolding. To avert that problem, I've increased the amount of gelatin in my version of the recipe and recommend it be made a full 24 hours before you plan to serve it. While I make and serve the fruit compote that accompanies the recipe, I also like to use a bit of melted strawberry jam as a sauce for the panna cotta. This is not necessary, but it adds wonderful color to the finished dessert. This is really easy to make and I think those of you who try it will enjoy it. Here's the recipe.

Strawberry Panna Cotta...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Gourmet Magazine and Epicurious

Ingredients:
Panna Cotta
3 cups sliced strawberries (1 pound)
1-3/4 cups well-shaken low-fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon strawberry flavoring (optional)
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
Compote
2-1/2 cups strawberries (preferably small; 3/4 pound), trimmed
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons superfine granulated sugar

Directions:
1) To make panna cotta: Blend strawberries, buttermilk, strawberry flavoring, salt and sugar in a blender until very smooth, then pour through a very fine sieve into a medium bowl, pressing hard on solids. Discard solids. Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small bowl and let stand 1 minute to soften. Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add gelatin mixture, stirring until dissolved. Whisk gelatin-cream mixture into strawberry purée and pour into 6 (6-oz.) molds. Chill molds, covered, until firm, at least 24 hours. To unmold, dip molds in a small bowl of hot water 2 or 3 seconds, then invert panna cottas onto dessert plates and remove molds. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes to soften slightly.
2) To make compote: While panna cottas stand at room temperature, halve strawberries lengthwise if small or quarter if larger. Whisk orange juice and superfine sugar together in a bowl until sugar dissolves. Add strawberries and toss to coat. Serve panna cottas with compote. Yield: 6 servings.

Source for strawberry extract can be found here.







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