Yogurt Panna Cotta with Saffron & Pistachio
For those of you who have not made panna cotta, you might be intimidated by the idea. I was. After all, the results are impressive and seemingly skill-requiring - Italian grandmother slaving away all day skill-requiring. On top of that, panna cotta uses gelatin, something that isn't found in most present-day pantries and comes animal by-product. Yes, traditional panna cotta is not vegetarian.
What if I were to tell you that panna cotta is incredibly easy to make and not only that, it's also very forgiving? By forgiving, I mean that you can adjust the milk to cream ratio, incorporate yogurt or buttermilk, or even play around with dairy-free milks or vegan gelatin and still create a luscious and beautifully wobbly gel. The other great thing about panna cotta is that it's the perfect canvas for a variety of flavor combinations from saffron pistachio to berry compote and nutmeg to dusted dark chocolate or bay nuts.
There's nothing wrong with serving panna cotta in its container with a spoon, but it doesn't require much more work to remove the gel from it's container and put it on a plate and doing this elevates the dessert to very classy level. Recipe below is adapted from a Smitten Kitchen recipe and makes 4 individual servings.
Grapeseed oil, to crease ramekins or other containers used to hold panna cotta
A few saffron threads per panna cotta
1-1/2 teaspoons (or 4 grams) unflavored gelatin
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 vanilla bean
1/4 cup toasted pistachios, chopped
Honey, to drizzle
Lightly grease containers for panna cotta with grapeseed oil and add a few saffron threads to each container. Ramekins or small cups or bowls work well. Taller/more narrow containers such as jars also work, but make it harder to remove the panna cotta once it has cooled.
Place 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Stir in gelatin and allow to soften, about 10-15 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt with 1/4 cup cream and 1/4 cup milk. Add remaining cream and milk to a saucepan, stir in granulated sugar, and bring to a simmer. Stir in gelatin mixture to dissolve, remove from heat, then whisk into dairy mixture. Scrape the inside of the vanilla bean into mixture along with lemon juice and whisk. Pour into cups, stir once with a fork or chopstick to mix around saffron, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. This can be done the night before.
To unmold the cups, fill a saucepan with about 3/4-inch of water and bring to a simmer. Turn off heat and a dip panna cotta cup into the water for 5 seconds, then invert it onto a flat plate. Repeat with remaining cups.
Right before serving, drizzle with honey and top with 1 tablespoon of chopped toasted pistachio. See below for inspiration for other panna cotta variations.
Panna cotta variation with blueberry compote and thyme.
Panna cotta variation with dusted foraged bay nuts and olive oil.
Saffron Pistachio Laceys
Brittle and delicate with amazing crunch and flavor.
More toffee than cookie, I grew up with lacey cookies purchased from the local grocery store. Although not invented by the Humboldt County company that made them in my hometown, they definitely cornered the market and brought "Laceys" (now a registered trademark) to the forefront of local graduation parties, holiday gatherings, gift baskets, and this girl's heart.
The classic registered trademark Laceys cookie is composed of melted chocolate sandwiched between two toffee cookies, which is delightful and worth making, whereas this version is uniquely different and much lighter, with pistachio, saffron, and and absence of chocolate (trust me) for a truly crisp taste and more unique Middle Eastern/Indian flavor. Lacey cookies have barely any flour, but a relatively larger amount (compared to typical cookie recipes) of sugar that, when heated, caramelizes and, in combination with the butter and nuts, create more of a brittle nutty candy than cookie.
I'm a sucker for caramelly, nutty, crunchy, slightly salty, exotic-spicey desserts and this version of a lacey cookie (or Laceys®) takes the cake - er - cookie! This version has a great brightness from the orange zest (just in time for the approaching citrus season!) and is light enough to warrant pairing with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, no complaints! Or perhaps making an ice cream sandwich that crackles to the bite and turns into a saffron-pistachio toffee ice cream in the mouth? Just a thought. Additional bonus is that they're so thin, one batch makes quite a lot and they keep well in the freezer - just remove, thaw for 5 minutes until you can slice them and cook them up as directed. Recipe is adapted from one found here and makes about 48 cookies, depending on how thick you slice them.
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon finely chopped saffron threads
3/4 cup unsalted shelled pistachios (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
2 tablespoons orange juice
In a small bowl, add saffron to melted butter and let sit for five minutes.
In a food processor, pulse pistachios and sugar until nuts are very finely chopped. If you do not have a food processor, you can simply chop them with a knife until fine, but it will take some time.
In a medium bowl, stir together saffron butter, pistachio-sugar mixture, almond extract, flour, orange zest, and orange juice.
Cover bowl and chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes (dough will be too sticky to handle otherwise).
Remove from refrigerator and roll into two logs about 1/2-inch in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper and freeze at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Using a sharp knife, slice each log into about 1/4-inch thick slices. Place sliced dough discs two inches apart from each other on parchment-paper or Silpat-lined cookie sheets.
Bake 10 minutes or until golden.
Cool on cookie sheets (the cookies will break if you remove them while warm).
Store layered between parchment in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If you leave them out to open air for more than a few hours, they will absorb any moisture from the air and potentially become soggy.
Try using for toffee ice cream sandos!