This past week, I spent some time playing around with a recipe for one of my favorite desserts thanks to jars of Peach Habanero Artisan Fruit Spread I received courtesy of Regina’s Farm Kitchen. Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert made with sweetened cream, gelatin and flavorings. This recipe makes use of buttermilk which gives the dessert a slight sour/tart edge. The custard is also flavored with tea bags and brown sugar creating a nice foundation for the topping.

Panna Cotta is easy to make. For this version, you start by heating cream, lemon zest, vanilla flavoring and salt. It’s important to just heat the cream, not boil it. After the edges start to bubble, remove the pan from the heat, add the tea bags, cover and steep for 10 minutes. While you wait, add the gelatin to 3 tablespoons of water. I sprinkled the gelatin over the water as evenly as I could and did not stir or agitate the mixture.

After the cream has steeped, remove the tea bags then stir in the bloomed gelatin. The top was still a little powdery when it was time to add it to the cream mixture so I returned the saucepan to the stove over low heat to help it dissolve. Again, I just warmed it. No boiling.

Finally, I removed the pan from the heat then stirred in the buttermilk. The mixture was strained into a measuring cup with a spout. Doing this makes it so easy to pour into the glasses. Panna Cotta is typically poured into ramekins so they can be molded which makes a lovely presentation when plated. I used a couple this time just to see how they’d turn out. I actually prefer to use wine glasses, cocktail glasses, glass votive holders and other vessels for serving individual desserts like this. It’s simple, eliminates a dish and a step and is still very pretty when served.

The filled glasses and ramekins were allowed to sit until cool, then covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated. When ready to serve, they were topped with diced Honey Mango and a generous tablespoon of Peach Habanero Artisan Fruit Spread. I love that it could be used straight out of the jar without having to add anything to it. A spoonful of the dessert starts out cool and mellow with a little sweet from the peaches. It’s followed by a gentle peppery accent from the habanero. The combination is quite nice.

My live-in taste testers agree that this dessert is a keeper. It’s creamy, fruity and a little savory. Here’s the recipe so you can try it for yourself.

PEACH HABANERO PANNA COTTA

Ingredients
3 tbsp cold water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2-1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
¼ tsp kosher salt
¾ cup whole buttermilk
2 Chamomile, vanilla & manuka honey tea bags (or similar)
1 fresh honey mango, diced
1 jar Regina’s Farm Kitchen Peach Habanero Artisan Fruit Spread

Directions
Heat heavy cream, brown sugar, lemon zest, vanilla bean paste and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves. Continue cooking just until hot, stirring occasionally. Do not boil. Remove mixture from heat and add tea bags. Cover and steep for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin evenly over water in a small bowl. Set aside to bloom for 5 minutes.

Remove tea bags from cream mixture. Stir gelatin into warm mixture until dissolved. If necessary, warm cream mixture on low heat until gelatin fully dissolves. Remove from heat, add buttermilk and stir until combined. Strain mixture through a fine sieve, then divide among 6 small glasses or ramekins. Refrigerate 4 to 6 hours until set.

To remove the custard from a ramekin, place the dish in a shallow bowl or pot of hot water for about 30 seconds to loosen. Carefully slide a knife around the edge to break the seal, then carefully invert onto a serving plate.

To serve in glasses, top Panna Cotta with 1 tbsp diced mango and ½ to 1 tbsp Peach Habanero Artisan Fruit Spread. Garnish with a peach slice and mint leaf, optional.

Enjoy!

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Disclosure: I received complimentary jars of Peach Habanero Artisan Fruit Spread from Regina’s Farm Kitchen. I received no monetary compensation for this post. All opinions are based on my own personal experience. You can view my full Disclosure Policy here.