You know the saying, “The way to someone’s heart is through their stomach?” On Valentine’s Day, that couldn’t be more true. The most romantic holiday of the year is the time to impress your sweetheart with something sweet and decadent. And nothing quite says, “I adore you,” like a homemade dessert. From strawberry crepes with raspberry sauce to chocolate coconut truffles and even strawberry pistachio pavlovas, plenty of our dessert recipes are easy enough to whip up for a loved one. But let’s talk about what we’re serving for that special someone this year. Panna cotta is a sweetened cream molded with gelatin and dressed with dessert sauces and fruits. When people hear about this Italian dessert, some tend to think of it as some fancy, tedious restaurant recipe. But trust us when we say it’s anything but. Our Pomegranate Panna Cotta is a strikingly beautiful dessert that’s a lot easier to make than you think. The gorgeous red and white coloring makes it exquisitely festive for Valentine’s Day that’s only made even more lovely with the addition of juicy, red pomegranate arils. One taste and you just may fall head over heels.
One of the most gorgeous fruits out there, Pomegranates are a highly coveted seasonal favorite. It’s one of the world’s oldest known fruits and also one of the most interesting. On the outside is a hard, leathery shell but inside are a complex chamber of ruby red seeds. What’s neat about pomegranates are its seeds are entirely edible and are bursting with delicious sweet-tart juice. They’re also incredibly rich in antioxidants and vitamins, making them worth the little extra effort in cracking them open. However, here at Melissa’s, we taken out the hassle of having to peel and extract the seeds with our ready-packaged Pomegranate Arils. These arils are perfectly fresh and will last around two weeks in the refrigerator. Add them to fresh salads, desserts, sorbets, soups, sauces, juices or use as a garnish to any dish in need of a little sprucing up. What would you do with these tiny, edible scarlet jewels?
Pomegranate Panna Cotta
Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups of pomegranate juice
- 1 box of Melissa’s Pomegranate Arils
- Zest from 1 orange
- 1 packet of gelatine
- 1 and 1/2 cups of whole milk
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 1/2 cup of orange juice
- 1/4 cup of hot water
- 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon of powdered gelatin
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1. In a sauce pan, combine the heavy cream, orange juice and zest and turn up the heat to medium. Add the sugar and bring to a simmer. Then stir in the vanilla extract.
2. In a small bowl, combine the whole milk and packet of gelatin. Allow for the gelatin to bloom for 5 minutes.
3. Add the gelatin and milk mixture to the cream and stir together to combine.
4. Pour the panna cotta layer into small jars or serving dishes and refrigerate for 2 hours up till overnight.
5. After the panna cotta layer has chilled in the refrigerator, make the pomegranate juice layer. Boil the 1/4 cup of water and stir in the 1.5 teaspoons of gelatin. Pour in the pomegranate juice and stir. Allow to cool for around 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Take the panna cotta and pour in the pomegranate juice layer. Sprinkle in some pomegranate arils. Again, place the panna cotta in the refrigerator and chill for another 2 hours.
7. When ready to serve, top with more pomegranate arils and serve cold.