Panna cotta is a lovely custardlike Italian dessert made with heavy cream. Instead, I use cashew milk with gelatin. Cashews come from the tropics, so acting on the theory of food combinations that says “if it grows together, it goes together,” I decided to add tropical fruits. Finally, for reasons only known to my subconscious, I thought cilantro would do something nice by way of tying it all together.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cashew milk, divided
- 4½ teaspoons gelatin powder
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 3 cardamom pods
- ½ vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped away
- 0.33 cup chopped pineapple
- 0.33 cup chopped mango
- 0.33 cup chopped papaya
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons cashew pieces, toasted
- 3 sprigs mint, leaves picked and cut into thin ribbons
- 2 sprigs cilantro, leaves picked and cut into thin ribbons
How to Make It
- In a mixing bowl, combine ⅓ cup of the cashew milk and the gelatin. Stir and set aside.
- In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the coconut sugar, the remaining 12⁄3 cups cashew milk, the cardamom pods, and vanilla bean and bring to a boil. Add the gelatin mixture to the hot cashew milk and stir for 1 minute over high heat. Remove the cardamom pods and vanilla bean and pour the mixture into 4 ramekins. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- In a medium bowl, combine the pineapple, mango, papaya, and lime juice and allow the mixture to macerate for at least 1 hour. Invert each panna cotta onto a dessert plate and spoon the fruit over the top. Garnish with the cashews, mint, and cilantro.