Mango Panna Cotta an Italian Dessert

Hi.

While my friends in the west enjoy spring or the onset of summer, the heat here is becoming intolerable day by day. I try very consciously not to indulge myself in too many cold drinks and stick to ever refreshing Jal- jeera and Chhaanchh or flavoured butter milk.

With summer, one can see the market flooded with stoned fruits and amongst all of them tops the king of fruits Mango. Talking about Mango, who does not like it? May is the month when one can enjoy Alphonso, one of the most popular variety of Mango grown largely in the coastal areas of Konkan in Maharashtra. It is one of the most expensive variety and has an exquisite taste.

I have been wanting to make the very popular Italian dessert Panna cotta for quite some time. S got a big box of Alphonso which we have been eating religiously every day post dinner. I was left with a few more Mangoes to finish and  was wanting to make a chilled  dessert with it, instantly I was tempted to make the Mango Panacotta.

Panacotta is a very simple preparation and is from Northern Italian region of Piemonte. It actually means cooked cream made by simmering cream, milk and sugar together. The dessert is either topped with fruits, dry fruits, spices or a fruit coulis. It is a very popular dessert which needs few ingredients and takes no time to make it.

Ingredients

a cup of mango puree

1-1/2 cups butter milk

1 tbsp gelatin about 7 gms or china grass

200ml low fat cream

1 tsp vanilla essence

6-7 tbsp sugar

Method

Mix the mango puree with butter milk and whisk. Strain the mix.

Put the cream on heat and bring it to a boil. Add the sugar and essence.

Mix water in the gelatin so that it is completely covered with water. On a double boiler melt the gelatin. Strain it.

Mix the gelatin in the cooked cream and whisk. Mix it into the mango-buttermilk mixture. Whisk. At this stage taste the sugar, if you feel like adding more add now.

Rinse the ramekins with water and pour the mango-cream mix. This enables the Pana cotta to come out easily after it’s set.

Refrigerate for 4-5 hrs. Run a knife along the edges and keep the ramekins upside down. Incase the set Pana cotta does not slide easily out of the ramekins, dip them in a bowl of hot water, this will loosen up the edges.

Garnish with mango slices, chopped pistachios and mint.

Serve chilled.

Sending this to Srivalli’s Thanda Mela