Monday, February 22, 2010

Lychee Panna cotta with Raspberry Jelly

I'm not really into complicated recipes, the ones that you try once and never make again.  Therefore, the dishes I make on this blog are usually just your average daily 'what's for dinner' type that are not too hard to whip up and are hopefully going into the 'I must remember to make this again' pile.

Of course, the internet and other food blogs are a constant, invaluable source of recipes and ideas.  This lychee panna cotta dessert was first inspired by Trissalicious's sublime-looking Lychee Perfection.  Then I found another version at Dessert First that was topped with ruby red pomegranate.  The list goes on...

So this is my La Vie en Rose-y version, with raspberry jelly providing further colour and flavour.

Lychee Panna cotta with Raspberry Jelly
serves 6

Ingredients
1 can (approx 565g / 20oz) lychees in syrup
2 tsp powdered gelatine
1 cup thickened cream
1 cup whole milk
2 tblsp sugar
1 packet raspberry jelly crystals

Method
1.  Set aside 6 whole lychees.  Put the remaining lychees and syrup into a food processor and process until the mixture is smooth.  Strain the liquid and pulp into a sieve until you get 1 cup of clear liquid.
2.  Place 3 tablespoons of cold water into a small bowl. Sprinkle over the gelatine.  Set aside.
3.  Combine the lychee liquid, cream, milk and sugar in a medium saucepan.  Heat on medium, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved and it just comes to the boil.
4.  Remove the lychee mixture from the heat and add the gelatine.  Stir until the gelatine is fully melted and combined. 
5.  Remove from heat and cool for about 10 minutes.
6.  Pour mixture evenly into 6x1-cup glasses.
7.  Refrigerate until set, about 2-3 hours.
8.  Make up the jelly crystals according to packet instructions.  Let the jelly cool slightly before pouring over the set lychee panna cottas.  Make sure the jelly is cool, otherwise it may melt the panna cotta.
9.  Refrigerate until the jelly is set, another 2 hours.  Top with reserved lychee pieces before serving.

Recipe adapted from Dessert First
Ingredients.  This was my first attempt at using gelatine, so the powdered version was easiest.

The deep red of raspberry jelly really offsets the creamy panna cotta.
...I will be making this dessert again...


Posted by OohLookBel at 9:49 PM
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26 comments:

  1. DebFebruary 22, 2010 at 10:04 PM

    ohhh I like! I love a good lychee recipe.

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  2. pandaFebruary 22, 2010 at 11:22 PM

    such a pretty dessert! love how versatile a can of lychees can be - you can eat it by itself or make a lovely dessert like you've done :)

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  3. Conor @ HoldtheBeefFebruary 23, 2010 at 12:36 AM

    The last panna cotta I looked at was the awful split one on My Kitchen Rules, so yours looks like little pieces of heaven. I'm sure Manu would be showering you in French accented praise!

    (umm, just to clarify, I would like the look of these even without having seen the split abominations..) :D

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  4. denise @ quickies on the dinner tableFebruary 23, 2010 at 1:08 AM

    GORGEOUS!! Love how you write your recipes!

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  5. Emma @CakeMistressFebruary 23, 2010 at 1:30 AM

    This would be amazing on a hot summer's night like tonight.

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  6. B & DFebruary 23, 2010 at 2:28 AM

    wow!! those look delightful!! lovely recipe :)

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  7. foodwinkFebruary 23, 2010 at 3:12 AM

    Simple but elegantly presented ... I think I might have a can of lonely lychee sitting in the cupboard awaiting its master to open it when I get home!

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  8. JustinFebruary 23, 2010 at 5:59 AM

    wow, these are gorgeous

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  9. marloperryFebruary 23, 2010 at 6:49 AM

    Yum! That looks really tasty.
    nice and summery, too. :)

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  10. Lorraine @NotQuiteNigellaFebruary 23, 2010 at 9:44 AM

    Mmm how elegant Bel! :) I love using that lychee liquid as well as drinking it with some ice.

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  11. penny aka jeroxieFebruary 23, 2010 at 12:50 PM

    So so pretty! I am like you. I do not like over complicated recipes.

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  12. Phuoc'n DeliciousFebruary 23, 2010 at 3:45 PM

    What a lovely and simple dessert!

    When I look at this I think back to My Kitchen Rules, when the QLD sisters made something similar to this but it failed miserably.. The gelatine separated from the mixture because they poured the warm pannacotta mix into the glasses before allowing it to cool slightly. The jelly they made to go on top was still warm and it seeped through the pannacotta! Disaster!

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  13. SF50February 23, 2010 at 4:31 PM

    Stunning! Wonderful photos, too. :)

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  14. TrissaFebruary 23, 2010 at 9:01 PM

    Ah Belle - it looks gorgeous. Now I wish I had used raspberry jelly instead as yours is STUNNING!

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  15. YaYaFebruary 23, 2010 at 10:47 PM

    Love simple recipes too, this is a stunning result, perfect for the last days of summer!

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  16. Food loverFebruary 24, 2010 at 10:32 AM

    I loved the recipe and love lychee! It looks like an amazing combination.

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  17. bowbFebruary 25, 2010 at 10:05 AM

    wow. that is beautiful.

    i've always been sort of tempted to make panna cotta, but a couple of weeks ago we had a nutella panna cotta at rosso pomodoro... and the kid didn't like it!

    she might feel differently about a lychee one. must launch discussions. ;)

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  18. Yen@foodforfourFebruary 25, 2010 at 10:33 PM

    That is gorgeous! I made my very first panna cotta a couple of weeks ago and it was a disaster (but I know what I did wrong). After seeing yours I'm so tempted to give the panna cotta a go again.

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  19. VonFebruary 28, 2010 at 9:05 PM

    Yum! I haven't had lychees in ages! I've never had panna cotta before, but this sounds (and looks) delicious! I love the presentation!

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  20. OohLookBelMarch 3, 2010 at 12:15 PM

    Hi Food.for.two – I love lychees, too. So versatile, so delicious!

    Hi panda – it’s great how the canned ones are as good as the fresh lychees, isn’t it? And no seeds, too!

    Hi Conor @ HoldtheBeef – thanks for the, um, compliment. *sigh* if only Manu was around to lick my panna cotta...

    Hi denise @ quickies on the dinner table – thanks! I really like your site, it’s a great source of ideas.

    Hi Emma @ CakeMistress – yes, they are lovely. And thanks for featuring these in your roundup.

    Hi B and D – thank you, they were beautiful to eat, too!

    Hi foodwink – I hope you enjoy your can of lychees and show it who’s the boss!

    Hi Justin – thanks!

    Hi marloperry – the panna cottas are a last grab at summer. But I think I’ll still make them when it’s colder, they are so good.

    Hi Lorraine @ Not Quite NIgella – I’ll admit that I ate some of the pulped lychee from the recipe – it was still good!

    Hi penny aka jeroxie – glad to hear it! I’ve nothing against complicated recipes, as long as I don’t have to make them!

    Hi Phuoc’n Delicious – oh those Qld sisters! I was thinking of them when I was mixing the gelatine, and even though I mixed thoroughly and cooled slightly, it still separate a *tiny* bit. Though not as much as the sisters’ ones – that was so ugly with the grey gelatine layer!

    Hi Shauna from Piece of Cake – thanks, Shauna

    Hi Trissa – I thought your rosewater layer was so pretty, but I didn’t want to risk stuffing it up, so jelly was more foolproof for me. Thanks again for the inspiration.

    Hi YaYa – it’s cooled down quite a bit lately, hasn’t it? Feeling a bit sad but welcoming the cooler days.

    Hi Food lover –thanks so much! It *is* a delicious combo!

    Hi bowb – how did your discussions go? Mind you, I’ve never really understood the Italian obsession with Nutella, so maybe a gentle lychee panna cotta would go down better.

    Hi Yen@foodforfour – I hope you get to try making the panna cotta again. What went wrong with your first attempt (I’d like to watch out for it next time!)

    Hi Von –always order panna cotta when I eat out, but if I’d realised that they were so easy to make, I would have done it sooner! I

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  21. AgnesMarch 3, 2010 at 9:19 PM

    Ooooooh that is pretty! I love pannacotta. It's such a lovely dessert.

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  22. Two fit and fun galsMarch 10, 2010 at 1:51 PM

    wow these look perfection :)

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  23. JulieNovember 20, 2011 at 12:51 PM

    Where can you find these raspberry jelly crystals? I used Jell-O instead and I'm wondering what the difference between the two are.

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  24. OohLookBelNovember 20, 2011 at 5:31 PM

    Hi Julie - in australia, we have Aeroplane jelly crystals which are pretty much the same as Jello. Any jelly crystals that you only need to add hot water to would work in this recipe.

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  25. AnonymousDecember 29, 2011 at 9:57 AM

    Is thickened cream heavy whipping cream? Thanks :D

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  26. OohLookBelDecember 29, 2011 at 10:24 AM

    hi Anonymous - Thickened cream has gelatine or other thickeners added to it.Check the ingredients in the cream to be sure. Good luck!

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