Receta Panna Cotta in Egg Shells (vegetarian)
Spring is here
and Easter is almost here so this is the perfect time for fun Spring themed
desserts! To me, these cute little cups resemble tulips. I love the way that
they came out. I've had this idea in my head for a while and have been wanted
to make them before Easter. I think that desserts with vanilla beans in them
look so pretty and it's fun that you can see the little black specks that add
such intense flavor.
Most recipes
for panna cotta use gelatin, which is not vegetarian. This recipe uses agar
agar, which to be honest I had never used before I made this dessert. I have to
say it was very easy to work with and I will be using more from now on because
I like the way it turned out. I found it at my local Asian grocery store in little
pouches. They weren't expensive and I bought two because I was pretty excited
about finally finding it. What was causing me the most problem is finding it in
powdered form and not flakes. I have no experience with the flakes but
apparently the final product in a recipe can be pretty inconsistent because the
flakes require more work. If anyone has experience with agar agar flakes and
would like to share, then please do :) (they may be great to work with). Since
I was looking for the powdered form, that's why I was so excited to find it.
The one I found is made by a brand named "Telephone" and it's in
little white packets with red and navy blue writing.
In the pictures
you can see some green grass in the glasses, this is edible grass that tastes
like green apple (in theory). I wouldn't really recommend eating it but I liked
the fact that it could be eaten, kids would love it. I also saw it in rainbow
colors too. I decided to dye the egg shells pink because I thought it was a
nice contrast to the bright white panna cotta and the green grass. Overall the
process of cracking the eggs was easy but it took a little time. I saved every
egg yolk and white that I cracked and used them in other recipes. For example,
I made doughnuts with three of them :). I always try to use every part of an
ingredient in a recipe, even if it's being used in a different recipe, just
because I don't like wasting ingredients. Making the panna cotta itself takes
less than 10 minutes. One of the hardest parts for me was waiting for it to set
up so I could try it, but it was well worth it to me. I really like the flavor
and I hope you do too! As always, let me know if you have any questions.
Panna Cotta in Egg Shells (Vegetarian)
- Makes about 6 - 2 ½-3 ounce servings
- Ingredients:
- - ½ cup whipping cream
- - ½ cup milk (I used 1%)
- - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- - ¼ teaspoon agar agar
- - 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla
- extract)
- - 6 egg shells, cleaned and boiled or steamed
Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat,
pour in the cream and milk, then whisk in the sugar, agar agar, and vanilla
bean paste.
2. Do not let the mixture come to a boil. When
it begins to simmer, turn the heat down to medium, and continue stirring
constantly for 2 minutes.
3. Evenly distribute the panna cotta between the
desired containers. Lightly cover the surface of the panna cotta with plastic
wrap. Chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving.
Egg shells:
If desired, with a small knife (I used a
serrated knife), score all the way around about ⅓ of the way down an egg. Using the back of the
blade of the knife, gently tap where the score marks are to crack it on the
line. Remove the top and put the egg yolk and white in a bowl for another use.
Clean the membrane out of the inside of the egg under running water, set aside.
Repeat with as many eggs as desired. Steam or boil the egg shells to sanitize
them. Dye the shells, if desired.
This recipe may be linked up to:
Here are some more ideas for Easter and Spring desserts: