December 13, 2017
So last weekend I decided to have my family over for dinner at our new place. I haven’t had my parents over since we first sort of moved in, and I wanted to show them how we’d kitted it out now that we are more settled. I also have been craving doing a big cook up in our kitchen, as I haven’t really done it yet. During the week my partner and I are so busy, I find I just default to quick and easy meals. But lately I’ve been inspired to try some new things, and get a little fancy in the kitchen. One of my friends is always cooking amazing meals, especially of the Italian variety, and so I felt like getting out of my comfort zone for once! I also feel like we’ve been getting a lot of take out on weekends, which is delicious and all, but I decided that I really need to stop being so lazy and start cooking at home. It’s so much fun, and so much cheaper than ordering in!
So I invited my family over and then went completely overboard with my meal prep, I was seriously in the kitchen for hours before they came. My partner couldn’t believe it, and I honestly could have whittled it down, but I was having too much fun! I tried making a bread that we learnt how to make in Italy, and it turned out great! Then I made some delicious caprese salad and prosciutto and melon for entrée which was beautiful and fresh. For the main I made the most amazing pork which I slow cooked in the oven. Honestly, I am kicking myself for not taking some photos of the process so that I could share it with you all, it was honestly one of my favourite things I’ve ever cooked for dinner (and I know that is a big call). But oh well, I guess this means I will have to cook it again!
So for dessert, I decided to make something that my sister would be able to enjoy too! My sister is intolerant to gluten and dairy, and is super healthy in her diet, so doesn’t eat sugar or processed foods. Honestly, I admire how good she is with her food, and she is so creative with recipes! I love eating food she cooks as she always comes up with inventive ways of cooking things, and it is always super delicious! She proves to everyone you don’t need butter to cook something amazing! So I found a dessert that I thought she would enjoy and decided to give this whole cooking with no sugar thing a go.
I couldn’t believe how well these panna cotta turned out. They were absolutely delicious, and surprisingly easy to make. I used to think panna cotta was a hard dessert, and maybe the actual recipe is. But these were so simple, and absolutely delicious. The best thing about them though was that they were gluten free, dairy free and sugar free. I mean to not have any of those things and still taste amazing is a big call, but these panna cotta totally delivered in flavour. This is why I decided it was worth sharing the recipe with all of you, as well as for my mum and sister who both loved the recipe so much that they begged me to put it on the blog for them. So here we go:
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 can coconut cream
- 6 sheets gelatin, softened in water for 5 minutes
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup crushed pistachios
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 mango, diced
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In a saucepan over a medium heat, add the coconut milk, coconut cream, gelatin (be sure to squeeze the water from this before adding the softened gelatin), maple syrup, vanilla essence and salt. Heat, stirring every so often, until the gelatin has dissolved and the mixture is just reaching a boil.
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Remove the saucepan from the heat. Pour into 5 glass cups or containers evenly, and rub the excess off the sides with a paper towel. Place in the fridge for at least 4 and a half hours to allow them to set.
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Meanwhile, in a frypan on a medium heat, combine the water, pistachios and maple syrup. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture has reduced. Place in a container in the fridge once it has thickened to cool completely before serving.
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To serve, remove the panna cotta and caramelised nut sauce from the fridge. Add a little of the diced mango to the top of each panna cotta, and top with the caramelised nut sauce using a spoon. Serve immediately.
This recipe is surprisingly simple to make, which was why I was surprised given that I’ve never cooked panna cotta before. I thought it would be really hard, especially as I’ve never cooked with gelatin before. But after this experience, I am definitely going to try cooking with it more, and also cook more of this type of dessert. It was so easy, especially for a dinner party where you don’t want to be in the kitchen too much once guests arrive. You can simply make these in advance and they are all ready to go when you have dessert. Even the cooking wasn’t that involved, which was great as I was able to do other things for dinner while it cooked away.
I honestly cannot believe how healthy these were too, as they tasted so good! The maple syrup brings the perfect amount of sweetness to the dish along with the mango, and so as a result it wasn’t super sweet like it would have been with sugar in it. It was the perfect balance, and made sure that the coconut shone through in the dish. I also loved how light it felt after a big meal. As there wasn’t any gluten, it was perfect for when your guests are already a bit full, and even though it had coconut cream in it, I honestly didn’t feel like it was heavy at all.
I really feel inspired to cook more like this. These sorts of recipes show you don’t need to pack in sugar, flour and butter to make something tasty. I mean, I don’t think I’ll ever completely swear off them, I love baking too much! But this has shown me that I don’t always need to cook things like that, and that recipes without this in them are just as good, if not better!
Until next time, happy eating!
Ella xx
