Pomma-Panna Cotta

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  On to the New Year!

Our family typically stays in on New Year's Eve.  We enjoy a variety of yummy treats and watch the ball drop in Times Square from the comfort of our home.  

Whether you're entertaining guests, or enjoying a quiet night in, this pomegranate topped panna cotta is sure to please. We'll enjoy this dessert one last time before we start what Hubby calls our "Mass Reduction Plan" on Jan 1.  Don't be fooled by the impressive presentation - this recipe is deceivingly simple to prepare.  Each layer needs to chill for 3 hours, so plan accordingly. 

Pomegranate Panna Cotta

serves 6-8

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Panna Cotta Layer:

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1 1/4 teaspoon gelatin

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 1/4 cups whole milk

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup sugar

Pomegranate Layer:

• 1 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

• 1/4 cup boiling water

• 1 cup pomegranate juice

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish

Directions

To make panna cotta layer:

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water and allow the gelatin to soften for 10 minutes.

2. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat milk, cream, and sugar together just until it starts to boil.

3. Remove from heat and add the softened gelatin mixture; stir until completely dissolved.

4. Stir in vanilla and distribute evenly into serving dishes.

5. Chill for 3 hours before making the pomegranate layer.

To make pomegranate layer:

1. Bring water to a boil; add gelatin and sugar; stir to dissolve completely.

2. Add pomegranate juice; cool mixture for 15 minutes before pouring on top of panna cotta layer.

3. Chill for another 3 hours.

4. Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds and serve.

Notes

• If using bottled pomegranate juice, don't shake the bottle - the sediment that settles at the bottom of the bottle can make the juice cloudy. 

• Also, don't be tempted to unmold this panna cotta recipe - it's very soft and is supposed to be served in a pretty glass.

How To Neatly Open a Pomegranate

I've shared my love of fresh pomegranates with you in the past, but I haven't shown you how to get all those yummy juice filled arils (seeds) out of them.  Some people like to cut the whole fruitin half, which is fine, but it cuts right through a ton of those juicy arils.  Here's what I do - first I cover my tablecloth with newspaper (the food section works particularly well).  I also put on a grubby shirt, just in case.

Okay, now I'm ready to get started.  I make a very shallow x-cut in the top, being very careful not to cut deep enough to pierce any of the arils. 

Next I follow the lines of the x-cut down the sides of the pomegranate, using just the tip of the knife to score the skin (again, not going deep enough to cut any of the arils).

Then I gently pry the pomegranate apart where I made the x-cut (a blunt butter knife might be helpful the first time you do this).  Once you get your thumbs in, it will pull apart very easily.  You can see the entire pomegranate is filled with hundreds of juicy arils separated by layers of a papery thin membrane.

The arils come out very easily, leaving just the skin and membrane behind.  One word of caution - I once did an entire case of these at one time and my hands were dry and stained for a couple of days afterward.  I don't bother to wear gloves when I open just one, but I would if I were to open a large number of them again.

And here are the arils.  I got just over 1 1/2 cups worth from this pomegranate.  We sometimes sprinkle them on salads or desserts, but our favorite way to eat them is just the way they are.

The next time you see a pomegranate at the store, I hope you'll give it a try!