Balls and Walnuts
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Coconapple Flanna Cotta
Now that I’ve mastered panna cotta, it’s time to mix things up a bit. With this recipe, I wanted to combine the best elements of flan and panna cotta, and give it some tropical zing, too.
You’ll need:
1 13.5 ounce can of coconut milk
About 2.5 cups of whole milk
1 package of granulated gelatin (about two teaspoons)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp dark rum (optional)
1 cup of granulated white sugar, divided
1/4 tsp salt
six ramekins
1. In a shallow bowl, warm 1/2 cup of the milk in the microwave until tepid. Sprinkle the gelatin over the milk. After 5 minutes, “flip” the gelatin layer with a fork so that the dry upper layer comes into contact with the milk. Don’t worry if it doesn’t flip well.
2. Caramelize 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sugar in a sauce pan. It helps to add a tablespoon or so of water during the heating process. Watch it carefully, stir as needed, and don’t let it burn. When the sugar has become a rich, amber to brown syrup, pour it into the ramekins.
This is way more sugar than you need to get the job done, but if there’s one thing I hate, it’s running out of caramel before I’ve come to the sixth ramekin.
3. Combine coconut milk, milk + gelatin mixture, vanilla, and rum (if you’re using it) in a 4-cup measure, and add enough milk to bring the volume to 3 cups. Pour this mixture into the sauce pan, which will still have a layer of caramel at the bottom. Add 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Place this over a low heat and stir constantly until the sugar and gelatin dissolve and the mixture has come to a simmer — NOT a boil.
4. Pour through a sieve into the 4-cup measure (which at some point you’ve managed to rinse out), and then distribute the mixture to each of the ramekins.
5. Chill six hours. Before serving, run a paring knife around the inner edge of the ramekin. Invert onto a plate and serve with pineapple chunks. Et voila!
And now I shall field all of your foodie questions 
D.
You know what? Chris made some mango sorbet the other day (mashed mango and mango juice, frozen) and it would be WICKED with this.
That’s a recipe worthy of the snootiest of the snooty-snoot-snooty $150/oz restaurants.
Oh YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That looks divine.
I obviously need to get me some ramekins! That would be most excellent with mango sorbet.