Going Green is March’s theme for Dessert Wars. Reeni and Christine have laid out a paired list of natural green ingredients for the challenge – traditional and non-traditional. The participants had to select at least one ingredient from each list. Given the two lists I had to wreck my brain for the best possible combination. I chose kiwi and mint from the traditional list and lemongrass from the non-traditional list.
These three ingredients have very distinctive flavors of their own. I wanted something subtle and mild to bind them together. Panna Cotta which means cooked cream in Italian would work. I infused the cream with lemongrass just enough to give it a bite. The simple kiwi mint sauce rounded off the dessert nicely, by giving it a light and fresh flavor. The combination was quite delightful and we all enjoyed it thoroughly. To my readers in Asia, the taste and texture of panna cotta is akin to a creamier Tau Foo Fah (Soy Bean Pudding).
This recipe was adapted from Giada’s at the Food Network. I have lightened it up by reducing the cream and using some half-and-half (half cream and half milk) instead.
- 1 lemongrass, about 6 inches from the bottom, cut into two
- 1½ cups (360ml) half-and-half
- 1½ tsp (4g) unflavored gelatin
- 3 tbsp (40g) sugar
- ¾ cups (180ml) heavy whipping cream
- 3 kiwi fruit, peeled
- 3 to 4 sprigs mint, stems removed
- 1 tbsp (14g) sugar
- Lightly oil 4 ramekins with neutral tasting oil.
- Using a meat pounder, crush lemongrass. Place in a small saucepan together with half and half. Sprinkle gelatin over and allow to soften for 5 minutes. Add sugar and place saucepan on the stove over medium heat stirring until gelatin and sugar dissolve. Turn off heat and let stand for 10 minutes to allow lemongrass flavor to develop.
- Remove lemongrass and stir in cream. Strain mixture over a fine sieve to remove any undissolved gelatin.
- Pour into ramekins. Transfer to fridge and allow panna cotta to set for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Place kiwifruit, mint leaves, and sugar in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Carefully dip bottom of each ramekin in a baking pan filled with hot water briefly. Run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin to loosen. Invert onto the plate and carefully lift off ramekin. Drizzle kiwi mint sauce over the top.
I really like the silky wobbly texture of this Lemongrass Panna Cotta. The kiwi mint sauce is a nice counterpoint to this creamy dessert. Do give it a try.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
Lemongrass and kiwi got me really excited! And on panna cotta, sounds just heavenly 🙂
Wonderful panacotta, loved the greens, kiwi and mint into it, am sure it must be delish. Will certainly give it a shot soon.
We are huge panna cotta fans! Love your colorful sauce!
LL
This looks fabulous. A perfect way to end a spicy meal. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Ruth, thanks for visiting! Yes, this is a nice, light, fruity dessert to finish off a meal.
Kiwi and mint! How fun, fresh and fruity!
Hi Celia, thanks for visiting!
Gorgeous dish! Loved the concept of kiwi mint sauce…presentation rocks…
I adore the versatility of panna cotta, as you demonstrate here with your lemongrass infusion. This is so pretty, too, with the lovely fresh green sauce. Lovely ideas, both.
You are more brave than I am though… I’ve quit inverting my panna cottas onto a plate, and now just make them in pretty small cut-glass wine glasses that allow room for a sauce on top. I had too many that just fell into an unattractive blob the other way!!! Nice job.
Hi Pam, thanks for visiting. 🙂 I think dipping the base of the mold in hot water helps. All four turned out well. I would probably use staright edge ramekins next time.
awesome recipe with stunning clicks..
Tasty Appetite
Biren, I would definitely love to make this delicious dessert as I still have kiwi in my fridge. Very nice click 🙂
That is such a beautiful dish Biren! What a creative use of ingredients and so springy!
The combo sounds so exotic, love the idea…!
This may be the prettiest Panna Cotta ever…what a wonderful combination, just love this! Beyond perfect for this 🙂
Oh my…this is so beautiful…craving kiwis and cream now. So glad you shared this!
Love the combination of flavours!
Beautiful panna cotta, Biren. The lemongrass infused panna cotta idea is one I’ve never heard of, but makes so much sense. I can only imagine the flavors of lemongrass, mint, and kiwi mingling together – simply divine.
Green is my favorite food color!! My automatic response would have been green tea dessert, but your idea of lemongrass with kiwi mint sauce trumps my trite Asian idea. It looks marvelous!
Green is a lovely food color. Green tea is a wonderful ingredient to use but I wanted something a little different this time. I am glad I was a little more “adventurous” as the panna cotta turned out beautifully. 🙂
I am renaming you the FLAVOR GODDESS!!! Are you kidding me Biren? – what explosive flavors and incredibly creative….not to mention creamy and perfectly crafted.
chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
Aww Devaki…that’s too funny! I had fun with this one. 🙂
Goshhhh!!! This is what I call a sinfully delicious looking dessert!!! Truly mouthwatering one.
Loved the addition of lemongrass and kiwi fruits here!
I made some panna cotta using buttermilk recently..shall we exchange? Hehehe…
Thanks Love2cook! Buttermilk? That’s interesting! I’ll have to check out your recipe.
This looks beautiful and delicious! I have never made pana cotta but would love to try it. Yours came out perfect:)
I love kiwi mint mixture. Those flavors sound amazing together!
The flavours are wonderful and so refreshing.. The presentation is beautiful
great blog u have i love it :O)
Hi Betty, thanks for visiting!
Absolutely refreshing and flavorful dessert.
A witty approach indeed! Love Panna Cotta & will kiv this 🙂
How pretty, love that kiwi and mint sauce idea, I am thinking would be lovely on so many levels. Thanks for the recipes.
Biren, you are so creative with this. What an amazing touch with the lemongrass. I feel I can taste it from here! As usual, your photos are nothing short of stunning.
Lemongrass, kiwi, mint…wow wow wow….what a refreshing combination.
Beautiful flavors in this panna cotta with lemongrass and the sauce sounds absolutely fantastic!
This is a creative lovely dessert! The flavours combination are really interesting! Looks really good! Wow!
Your panna cotta is beautiful Biren! I love the combination of flavors you used – delicious! Thanks for entering!
This was a challenging but fun one for me. I am so glad it turned out the way it did. 🙂
Hey, Biren. I made this on Sunday for pudding yesterday and they were delicious. My kids think I am soo… clever, he he he!!!! The lemongrass flavour was so subtle that my kids didn’t even notice it. Absolutely delicious and so simple too!
Glad to hear that you had a chance to try out the recipe. Yes, the lemongrass flavor should be subtle and not over-powering. For a stronger flavor, you may have to steep it slightly longer. I think using two lemongrass might be a little too much unless you really love the taste of lemongrass.
Really beautiful!
http://agirlinherkitchen.blogspot.com
Oh that is so pretty with the kiwi!!! I strongly considered doing a panna cotta for this month!!! Im glad you did!! Mine wouldnt of been half as beautiful! Good luck with the dessert war!
What a gorgeous panna cotta, and great use of the ‘green’ with the lemongrass, kiwi and mint. Sounds delicious! Good luck to you 🙂
I can not find fresh lemongrass. I have jarred will that be okay?
I would not recommend using jarred lemongrass for this recipe. Perhaps you can look for fresh lemongrass at an Asian market near you.