This luscious and fragrant Orange Blossom Panna Cotta is made with a dash of orange blossom water. It combines beautifully with the citrusy orange sauce.
Whether you are taking Mom out for lunch or dinner this weekend, it is still nice to be able to prepare a little something for a more intimate time at home. A leisurely breakfast or afternoon tea is a wonderful way for the family to get together to honor and appreciate Mom. These small meals need not be elaborate and some can be prepared ahead. Remember to make it as stress free as possible and to enjoy the time spent together.
Simple breakfast ideas, from left to right: Baked Eggs in Tomato Cups, Gluten-Free Banana Blueberry Muffins, and Grilled Marmite Cheese Sandwiches.
Tea time ideas, from left to right: Strawberry Sour Cream Scones, Lavender Almond Cookies, and Vegetable Samosas.
A dessert is always welcomed. Panna cotta is light and elegant. Best of all, it begs to be made ahead. The orange sauce that accompanies this fragrant, creamy goodness is simply delightful. It has a slightly tangy flavor and the color is bright and cheerful, perfect for Mother’s Day. For a touch of the tropics, try my Lemongrass Panna Cotta with Kiwi Mint Sauce instead.
Orange blossom water is distilled water that contains the essential oil of orange blossom. It is a traditional ingredient in Middle Eastern, French, and Mediterranean desserts. It is also used in some cocktails. A little goes a long way, and so add a few drops at a time to determine your preference. It can be purchased at Middle Eastern food stores.
Making panna cotta is relatively simple but unmolding it can be a little tricky. While my first attempt using small bowls was quite successful, it did cause me some concern. I decided to use silicone cups this time, and I am happy to say that the release was a little easier. After running a thin knife around the top edge, I was able to stretch and peel back the pliable silicone cup to loosen the panna cotta. I inverted it onto a plate and gently squeeze the base of the cup to ease the panna cotta down. Then I carefully lifted the cup.
Silicone cups come in all shapes and sizes. Choose the ones that best suit your purpose.
This luscious and fragrant Orange Blossom Panna Cotta is made with a dash of orange blossom water. It combines beautifully with the citrusy orange sauce.
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (480ml)
- 1½ cups half-and-half (360ml)
- 2 tsp orange blossom water
- 2½ tsp unflavored gelatin (7g)
- 1/3 cup sugar (75g)
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice from 2 to 3 oranges (240ml)
- 3 tbsp sugar (40g)
- 1 tbsp butter (14g)
- Julienne orange peel from one orange
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Lightly oil 10 standard size silicone baking cups with neutral tasting oil. Place cups on a flat tray.
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Place half-and-half in a medium sized saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin over and allow to soften for 5 minutes.
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Add sugar and place saucepan on the stove over medium stirring until gelatin and sugar dissolve, about 5 minutes. Do not allow mixture to boil.
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Pour in whipping cream and orange blossom water. Stir to combine. Turn off heat.
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Strain mixture over a fine sieve to remove any undissolved gelatin. Pour into silicone cups. Transfer to fridge and allow to set for at least 8 hours or overnight.
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Place orange juice, sugar, butter, and orange peel in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until thick and syrupy, about 12 to 15 minutes.
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Remove and allow to cool. Transfer to a container and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
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Run a thin butter knife around edge of each silicone cup to loosen. Invert onto a plate and gently squeeze the base of the cup to ease the panna cotta down. Carefully lift the cup.
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Drizzle with orange sauce.
A double heart serving of Orange Blossom Panna Cotta with Orange Sauce for Mom…
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! 😎
sonia says
May 6, 2011 at 8:39 pmHi Biren, This is looking absolutely delightful. Loved the new combo of ingredients and the recipe is so nicely made and presented. Saving this recipe of urs and wud love to give ur version a try on the coming weekend. Have a great day….Sonia !!!
Belinda @zomppa says
May 6, 2011 at 8:51 pmWhat a lovely dessert – the orange blossom is such a lovely flavor.
srividhya ravikumar says
May 6, 2011 at 9:31 pmlooks yum and colourful…
Lyndsey says
May 6, 2011 at 9:53 pmHi Biren, this does look beautiful. I like how you made them in heart shape. Simply divine!
Anncoo says
May 7, 2011 at 1:09 amThis is very beautiful dessert, perfect for Mother’s Day:)
Happy Mother’s Day to you, Biren 🙂
Lindsey@Lindselicious says
May 7, 2011 at 1:54 amI love panna cotta, yours came out so cute in the silicon heart molds too! Love it. Happy Mothers day Biren!
Jeannie says
May 7, 2011 at 4:07 amLooks so pretty and the orange blossom sauce must be delicious too! Great way to give mothers a treat:) Happy Mother’s day to you too Biren
Jill Colonna says
May 7, 2011 at 4:59 amBiren, you’ve got my fav ingredient and fav dessert rolled into one. Now that is definitely one of the best Mothers’ Day desserts you could have! Enjoy Mothers’ Day.
Angie's Recipes says
May 7, 2011 at 2:16 pmThis is definitely one perfect Mother’s Day treat!
Jess says
May 7, 2011 at 3:41 pmBeautiful presentation!
Tina (PinayInTexas) says
May 7, 2011 at 3:51 pmThise looks lovely, Biren!
Dropping by again to let you know that I have some awards waiting for you.
Check it out!
Mother’s Day Greetings and Another Bunch of Awards
Happy Mother’s Day!
Biren says
May 8, 2011 at 6:26 pmThanks Tina! Happy Mother’s Day to you as well! 🙂
Reeni says
May 7, 2011 at 8:36 pmWhat a beautiful dessert for Mother’s Day Biren! Making them in the heart molds is a nice touch! Happy Mother’s Day!
cooking rookie says
May 7, 2011 at 10:27 pmThis dessert looks fabulous! I have to try it. I don’t know why I am still so intimidate by the idea of making panna cotta. The recipe sounds so simple and so delish :-).
Biren says
May 8, 2011 at 6:31 pmYou are not alone. It took me a while to get round to making it and I am glad I did. It is actually quite fast and easy, especially if you allow it to set in dessert glasses and not worry about unmolding it. The long wait for it to set is probably the hardest part. 😉
Jessica says
May 8, 2011 at 12:52 amOh I love panna cotta and yours is absolutely gorgeous. Orange sounds like the perfect flavor for a summer panna cotta!
Pudding Pie Lane says
May 8, 2011 at 2:33 amSuch a pretty dish! I love the lavender and almond cookies too 🙂 My mum would love those, but it’s a shame my parents have decided to go on holiday! I’ve never tried orange blossom water but that sounds very exotic and I’d love to try it 🙂
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says
May 8, 2011 at 7:59 amI’ve become a panna cotta fan over the years and this would be heaven to me. I love citrus. I’ll have to get some orange blossom water though. With all that we don’t have in my rural southern area, one thing we do have is a Mediterranean market. How weird is that.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Biren says
May 8, 2011 at 6:33 pmI enjoy going to ethnic markets as there are always so many “new” things for me to discover and try out. I hope you find the orange blossom water there.
Lucy @ Lucy eats says
May 8, 2011 at 4:58 pmWow Biren, your panna cotta looks so heavenly! I’ve never tried orange blossom water before but I imagine they’d impart a really light citrus flavour of which I’m such a fan. I hope I can find this near my home..
Tiffany says
May 8, 2011 at 6:58 pmOh, I can just imagine how fragrant and delicately delicious this must have been!
Priya says
May 8, 2011 at 7:50 pmtoo hard to resist such deliciousness! What fantastically tempting pictures! LOVELEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
5 Star Foodie says
May 8, 2011 at 9:27 pmThis panna cotta is just gorgeous! So nice with the orange flavors!
tigerfish says
May 9, 2011 at 12:18 amThe refreshing citrus must be so uplifting!
Roxan says
May 9, 2011 at 9:34 amBiren, you never fail to go above and beyond with your kitchen adventures, and this is no exception! This looks absolutely lovely and the citrus flavor is perfect to go with the creamy panna cotta.
Faith says
May 9, 2011 at 2:41 pmThis is gorgeous, Biren! I love the orange for a touch of elegance…and I can imagine it’s lovely scent!
Hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day!
kristy says
May 9, 2011 at 6:25 pmI have yet made my own panna cotta! Your version sounds pretty simple & easy to follow. Thanks for showing the step by step pictures as well.
Kristy
Lyndsey says
May 9, 2011 at 10:30 pmStunning and sounds delicious! I love panna cotta so will definitely be giving this delicate and fragrant version a go : )
Nami @ Just One Cookbok says
May 9, 2011 at 11:52 pmHow Lovely… My husband loves Panna cotta and he’ll be so happy if I can make this for him… Just got an idea.. Keeping this dessert recipe for father’s day. LOL. Thank you!!! 😉
Biren says
May 10, 2011 at 1:52 pmIt would be a nice surprise. Talking about Father’s Day, I need to think up of some recipes to make a special treat for my hubby…shhhh!
LeQuan says
May 10, 2011 at 6:22 pmBeautiful presentations, Biren! I need to get me some silicone cups for stuff like this. Ever since trying Stella’s Panna cotta, I’ve grown a whole new respect for them. I never thought I would like them, but she proved me wrong. Yours look fantastic with the orange sauce drizzles all over. Definitely a double serving for mom!
Roxana GreenGirl says
May 11, 2011 at 10:31 pmMother’s day or not, there’s always room for dessert and a cup of tea.
Saw your panna cotta few days ago, took me a while to come and leave a comment. 🙁
Looks great, love the orange sauce. Seeing your heart shaped panna cotta gave me some ideas for some molds I just received. Thanks Biren.
Magic of Spice says
May 12, 2011 at 1:39 pmThis is such a gorgeous panna cotta…stunning! And great brunch/breakfast ideas 🙂 I hope you had an amazing Mother’s Day!
Lea Ann says
May 22, 2011 at 4:31 pmThis is beautiful Biren. Making my own panna cotta has been on my list of “things to do” for over a year. It always looks so delicious and creamy.
parmjit says
August 21, 2013 at 12:51 pmhi biren what is half half thank u
Biren says
August 22, 2013 at 6:43 amHalf-and-half is half milk and half light cream.