Vanilla Panna Cotta Dessert Recipe
Have you ever seen such a pretty dessert. Sitting inside it’s very own ice droplet is a vanilla bean panna cotta, diced compressed pineapple, mango lime sphere, isomalt sugar garnish.
Thanks to the support of YouTube and Screen Australia I had the opportunity to work with a team on this video. Normally I film, produce, photograph and edit everything myself. But for this video there was a producer and 2 camera men. I chose to fly to Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre to introduce you to Mike Belcher an amazing chef whose desserts I admire.
Ice Sculpture
Fill balloon to desired size, release air bubble from the top, tie and hang in freezer with a plate underneath. Wait until a shell is frozen. Use a blow torch in the centre of the ice sculpture to make a hole. Then release the water and continue to use the blow torch to make the hole bigger.
Return it to the freezer until its time to serve.
Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta
300millilitres (10.14 fluid ounces) or 1 cup plus 3 Tbsp and 1 tsp Milk 4% fat
300g (10.58 ounces) or 1 1/4 cup Cream 35% fat
1 Vanilla bean (or vanilla extract if you can’t get vanilla bean)
60g (2.12 ounces) or 1/4 cup plus 1 tsp Sugar
6g (0.21 ounces) or 3 leaves gold strength leaf gelatin OR 6g (0.21 ounces) or 1 3/4 tsp powdered gelatine softened with 50millilitres (1.69 fluid ounces) or 1/4 cup of the milk
Hydrate the gelatine leaves in cold water for 10 minutes until fully softened.
Bring milk, sugar and vanilla to a simmer, remove from the heat and add the squeezed gelatine.
Leave for the flavor to infuse for 20 minutes, drain the vanilla bean and add the cream. If you want the vanilla seeds to be evenly dispersed chill until just starting to thicken and then pour into glasses. If using extract you can pour into glasses immediately.
Compressed Pineapple
200g (7.05 ounces) Super sweet tinned pineapple, finely diced
1 star anise
vanilla bean left over from panna cotta
sugar to taste
heatproof food safe plastic bag
Place all ingredients into a vac pac bag (or watertight plastic bag) and fully compress.
Heat for 30 minutes in a water bath of 60C (140 degrees Fahrenheit).
Mango lime sphere
400g (14.11 ounces) tinned Mango, pureed
50millilitres (1.69 fluid ounces) or 3 Tbsp and 1 tsp Lime juice
60g (2.12 ounces) or 1/4 cup plus 1 tsp Sugar
6g (0.21 ounces) Calcium lactate gluconate (you can get a kit that has the alginate and calcium salts here).
Sodium alginate bath:
1Litre Distilled water
5g (0.18 ounces) Sodium alginate
Combine mango and lime together, then add the combined sugar and calcium lactate gluconate. Pour into hemisphere molds and freeze until solid.
Make your sodium alginate bath and drop in the frozen spheres. Keep the spheres moving making sure they do not touch. After 3 minutes remove the spheres and drop them into cold water to stop the setting process.
Isomalt garnish
100g (3.53 ounces) Isomalt (available here)
Cookie cutter slightly larger than the glass the Panacotta is in
2 silpat baking mats
Heat in the oven for 3 minutes at 180C (356 degrees Fahrenheit)
Optional garnish with micro herbs, lemon balm and micro mint, gold leaf and edible flowers.
Make sure the gold leaf you buy is edible like this one not one that says it is for craft.
by Ann Reardon
My Cookbook
Stores that sell my book listed by country:
http://bit.ly/ARcookbook
All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.
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Hi Ann,
For this dessert can it made a day or two beforehand and leave in fridge?
For the measurements given, how many can be made from it?
Thanks
Hi Janey, Because this recipe contains fruit an sphericals, you really need to assemble just before service. The elements can be made prior. The quantities will provide at least 6 but it will depend on the size of your servings.
Hi Ana , fashionable frost cakes with a frosty cover. You can tell how it’s done ?. Thanks and spectacular all your page
Hi Erika, I am not sure what ‘fashionable frost cakes’ are. Can you post a photo?
Hi there!!
In this recepie there is a link to various kit with the cemichals.
Wich of them is the best to cover the needs if i want to try this recepie?
I am curious to try this but not sure about this Products
Best regards Micke from Sweden
How much vanilla extract would I use if I were to substitute it for the vanilla bean? For the gelatin step, I plan to use powdered gelatin in the quantities you gave above. The recipe quantities said “6g (0.21 ounces) or 3 leaves gold strength leaf gelatin OR 6g (0.21 ounces) or 1 3/4 tsp powdered gelatin softened with 50millilitres (1.69 fluid ounces) or 1/4 cup of the milk”. Does this mean I should combine the 1 3/4 tsp powdered gelatin with 1/4 cup of the milk? It seems like there is a lot of milk. Also, how many milliliters or cups of panna cotta does the panna cotta recipe make? Much obliged. Lucy
Hi Lucy, this recipe was provided by Mike Belcher. While they make restaurant quantities of this dish, these quantities should be enough to serve 4-6people depending on how generous you make your serves. In terms of the gelatin, Mike used the leaf gelatin, bu the powdered gelatin was to be mixed in 1/4 cup or around 60ml of milk. 50ml should be sufficient as per the water given That seems an appropriate quantity. In terms of how much extract to use, there should be a guideline on the bottle indicating the equivalent. Usually the recommendation is somewhere between a half to one teaspoon.
Hey Ann! This is amazing! I have a few questions:
1. Is it necessary to use the calcium salts and alginate? Can’t the entire step be skipped?
2. Can fresh mangoes be used instead of tinned ones?
3. Is there a substitute for Isomalt?
4. Can the recipe be scaled down?
Hi Tkan, You can only leave out the salts and alginate if you want to omit the mango lime sphere. The tinned mango is cooked and easier to puree. Isomalt is required to make the discs and to ensure that they stay firm. In some recipes you can replace it with sugar but it won’t stay firm and it won’t work in this recipe. It isn’t really worth scaling this recipe down but you could if you wanted to.
Hello from Italy!
Love your videos and tutorials, however, it is spelt ” PANNACOTTA”, not pancotta…
Thanks Sara. We have corrected the typo.
I could not understand how he kept the ice sculpture from sliding on the plate. I have had good luck making them but they do slide on the plate. Thanks!!
Hi jim! You can just drissel a thin layer of water and freeze the ice sculpture to the plate
Than so much!!
Hi Jim, Freeze the plate. When you put the sculpture on the plate, the outer layer of moisture freezes to the plate. This is mentioned in the video tutorial.
You have to put the ice droplet on the plate and then put Ice cubes to make it not slide around the plate… Make sure to watch the video on Youtube so u can know how to solve that!
also how can cook choux sable?
Hi ghazal, Ann doesn’t have a recipe for sable at the moment. She does have a choux pastry recipe: https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/croquembouche-recipe-crockenbush/
hi dear ann….can you teach me how can make colorful miror glaze?
Hi ghazal, Here is a recipe that includes a chocolate mirror glaze: https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/chocolate-glacage-glassage-chocolate-mirror-glaze/
Hi Ann.
I just wanted to point out that your recipe on this site has an error. On the pannacotta recipe the milj and cream have swapped places. I’m right now experimenting if this matters but you probably should fox that. Thanks alot for the idea!
Panacotta’s are not rocket science. Try 300g double cream & 300g of full milk with 120g caster sugar, 7 grams of gelatine and a vanilla bean or dollop of vanilla extract. Job done. If you want to add alcohol, add more gelatine to get the panacotta stable. Perhaps 3g to 100ml of smooth liquid (kaluha etc.)
Dear Ann Reardon
Recentliy discovered your exciting, intereseting and inspiring website. If I recall correctly, somewhere in the youtube film, it says you can make the mango spheres in advance. How do I keep them best until serrving? How long can I keep them without risking to have them dissolved (in the water?) or ripped (without water?)? Thank you for your kind help and kind regards from a cold Switzerland to you and your sunny Australia. Peer (kitchen amateur)
Hi Peer, It is make the mango puree in advance and create the spheres on the day of service. If you want to try make the actual spheres in advance, the best way is to make them, rinse them and then store them in a tray of the mango puree otherwise you will get leeching etc.
Hi Ann I just got one question isn’t wierd to use a raw egg yolk on top of the sugar
Hi Ashley, it is not a raw egg! check out the video and you will see for yourself.
Hi Ann oh I thought it was a raw egg how silly of me I should have watch the video
OMG! That is WOAH! That is definitely a piece of art. Anne, you Should know that you made me fell in love with culinary arts and i am thinking to get a degree. Thanks for inspiring me.
How long do you leave the balloon in the freezer for?
Hi Jedd, Every freezer is different so you will need to experiment.
It is January and it’s my birthday in 18 days so I was wondering if you could bake cake for me on the channel from plants vs zombies with a frozen pea shooter on it. Please.
Wow ann how was the trip that was AMAZING!!!
hi ann i really love how this desert is shown can you try to make a similar desert to this one
Hi,
The whole desert is simply wonderful and was thinking about trying to recreational this for valentines day, how many people will the reciebe above serve?
Thank you in advance
(You are a real inspiration and i t is wonderful that you have chosen to share your amazing talent and gift).
Hi Natalya, This recipe is meant to make at least 12x 50ml serves but it will depend on the size of your serves.
I would love to try this . What a surprise to my family and friends if I succeeded.. It looks too beautiful to eat……
That’s very pretty, I like it so much. Mrs Ann Reardon, can you make more video like this? Either about chocolate.Thanks!