I went to the doctors recently and was told that I needed to eat more fruit…that I needed to ease off the sweets. So I do what any foodie would do in a situation like mine. I went to the markets. Picked up the fruits that were on sale. Then ate them with dessert! Don’t judge me…some habits are hard to break. This Orange Scented Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta is one of the three…the other two needs some tweaking but will be up next week!
The last orange recipe I made had no oranges in it. Sorry about that…consider this my redemption. If you made the orange blossom hot chocolate then you would understand…orange and cream is a match made in foodie heaven. Well, that recipe was foreplay…this is full-on, unsolicited, hardcore…erm…you get the idea. Flavors hit you like…Boom! Creamy! Salty Crunch! Citrus! Spices! ORANGE EXPLOSION WITH EVERY BITE!!!…..Actually, now that I think about it, it’s a pretty velvety smooth dessert. Softcore? Please disregard the previous statements.
Orange Scented Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta tastes exactly like you think it does…but better. The panna cotta has a hint of citrus from the orange blossom water but not enough to make this dessert one dimensional (ie. too orange-y). The oranges are segmented to remove the bitterness and give this dish a little color.
Now…why is there whipped cream? Isn’t that too much creaminess for a single plate?…Um, NO! Everything looks and tastes better with whip…EVERYTHING! Feel free to email me if you have a different opinion, I am prepared to debate this until I die (most likely from overdosing on whip). Plus, this isn’t just regular whip…this is cinnamon spiced cream whipped to perfection (fancy way of saying that I tossed in some cinnamon powder). Seriously though, the panna cotta has a jello like consistency and is complimented beautifully by the whip. As for the salted almonds…it’s the perfect finish! That salty crunch makes it all come together flawlessly!
- 2 & 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 & 1/2 cup Whole Milk
- 1 tbsp Powdered Gelatin
- 1 whole Vanilla Bean Pod
- 5 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Orange Blossom Water Optional
- Neutral Tasting Oil
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tbsp Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
- Orange Zest
- Roasted Salted Almonds Crushed
- Oranges Segmented, see notes
- Mint
- Sprinkle the powdered gelatin over 2 tbsp of milk. Cut the vanilla pod in half (lengthwise) and scrape out the seeds.
- Prepare an ice bath that your pot will fit in.
- Throw your vanilla pod, seeds, cream, milk and sugar into a pot. Over medium heat, bring this mixture to a gentle simmer (this will take 5-7 minutes). Make sure to not boil this, milk burns easily.
- When you see little bubbles, bring the heat down to low and mix in your gelatin.
- When the gelatin has dissolved and the mixture is completely smooth, remove the vanilla pod and place your pot into the ice bath. Leave your mixture in the ice bath until it reaches room temp (5 minutes).
- Pour your mixture into whatever serving containers you have. Be sure to grease the containers if you want to serve these unmolded. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 6 hours but preferably overnight.
- Run a knife or toothpick along the side of the Panna Cotta and place the container in hot tap water for 15-20 seconds. Invert the dessert onto a plate. Garnish and serve.
- Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form (about 3 minutes). Add the cinnamon powder and powdered sugar and continue mixing until stiff peaks form (2-3 more minutes).
