Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
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.