Chocolate Panna Cotta with Caramelized Pineapple and Amarena Cherries

Choc Panna Cotta (02= by MeetaK

We’re having a few wonderful late summer days here at the moment. It’s been a real pleasure to tank up on a bit of warm sunshine. I hope that winter this year is also slightly warmer. I am dreading the cold!

I know many of you are waiting for my creation for the current Monthly Mingle: Chocolate & Fruit, but I hope you understand I had to take some extra space yesterday to announce the La Cucina Italiana contest. It’s a fantastic opportunity to win yourself a free subscription to this gorgeous magazine, so I do hope you will join us!

As if by coincidence my dessert today has been inspired by the great Italian dessert - the Panna Cotta. My variation of this extremely elegant dessert is by no means an authentic version of the panna cotta. Contraire – it’s rather exotic with the sweet caramelized baby pineapple and the Amarena cherries. The added delicacy of chocolate makes it lavishly decadent. A panna cotta it is though.

I will allow you to enjoy this dessert to the fullest now, as I stretch out on my deck chair and enjoy the last of these chocolate fruity delights.

Ciao!

Ingredients
Printable version of recipe here.

For the chocolate panna cotta

400 ml heavy cream
90g fine sugar
30g cocoa powder
4 sheets gelatine
1 vanilla bean, scraped
50 ml milk
50 ml chocolate syrup, I used Swiss Chocolate from Monin
100g Mascarpone cheese

For the caramelized pineapple

1 baby pineapple, peeled and cut into wedges
50 g sugar
150 ml - 200 ml pineapple juice
8-10 Amarena cherries
2 tablespoons syrup reserved from the Amarena cherries

Method

For the chocolate panna cotta

Soak the gelatine in cold water for approx 5 minutes. In a saucepan bring the cream, sugar, vanilla pod and the scraped seeds to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and allow for the cream to steep for 30 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk the milk, cocoa powder and chocolate syrup to a smooth mixture. Remove the vanilla pod from the cream and discard. Bring the cream mixture to a boil once again and gently whisk in the cocoa mixture. Remove from heat.

Squeeze water from gelatine and dissolve into the chocolate-cream mixture. Allow to cool at room temperature, then place in the refrigerator until the mixture starts to thicken. Add the mascarpone cheese and whisk until smooth and there are no lumps.

Fill the mixture into 4 forms (each about 150 ml) and refrigerate overnight.

For the caramelized pineapple

On medium heat allow the sugar to dissolve and caramelize to a light golden color. Pour in the pineapple juice. The sugar will solidify but keep the mixture at medium heat and gently bring it back to a boil. The sugar will begin to dissolve. Allow the mixture to simmer and reduce into a thick syrup - approx 10 minutes.

Add the pineapple chunks, Amarena cherries and syrup and cook for approx. 5 minutes until softened. Cool to room temperature.

Tip the panna cotta onto plates and serve with the caramelized fruit or if you prefer just spoon some of fruit over the panna cotta in the glasses or forms.

 


Verdict

Choc Panna Cotta (01) by MeetaK

Making them in small glasses was maybe a mistake! LOL! I thought it would be a nice touch to a heavy meal we had. But apparently my guests could not get enough of this and for the first time in my cooking history I did not have enough!! Embarrassing? No – I just invited them over again – this time a light meal and a big portion of this chocolate panna cotta. It was rich, smooth and delicately fruity. Something one can indulge in over and over again.

You might like these Panna Cotta varieties from WFLH too:

Panna Cotta Sin Panna Cotta with Blackberries
SaffronCardamomPannaCotta 07 framed Panna Cotta with Saffron and Cardamom
Strawberry Panna Cotta 01 framed Strawberry Panna Cotta with Balsamic Red Wine Syrup

From around the blogs:

 

Daily Tiffin Reading Tip:

 


All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2008 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First

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23 comments:

  1. WOW,I LOVE IT,I WISH ALONG WITH THE SUBSCRIPTION,YOU ALSO GIFT LARGE BOWLFUL OF THIS,THATS INSPIRATION

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  2. Yet another beautiful creation from you Meeta. Looks gorgeous.

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  3. It's like the cutest little sundae! I love the cherry! And the flavors sound wonderful!

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  4. What a gorgeous dessert! I don't think I've ever had chocolate with pineapple and now I'm asking myself why? It sounds delicious and with the cherries too, YUM!!!

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  5. Chocolate panna cotta -- it looks so rich and delicious, no wonder your guests wanted more! Recently we've been cooking pineapple on the grill, which caramelizes it -- that would be fun with this dessert, too.

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  6. Gorgeous Meeta and decadent indeed. My mouth is watering.

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  7. You do like teasing us with your gorgeous desserts! :)

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  8. Hey meeta those looks devine.. nice dessert..

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  9. Pineapple is a good way to celebrate summer! I know how you feel about the cold by the way. I lived in the tropics most of my life, and even though the winter we have here isn't even close to a real European winter, I still dread it each year. But brace yourself, at least there will still be rustic produce and comfort foods that will partly make up for the cold.

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  10. I am not really the kind of person who would need dessert after every meal, but ALL your desserts make me have them all the time!!

    Awesome...

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  11. I love panna cottas because they are a lot lighter than creme brulee. Seriously, Meeta how could you make these in small glasses...it sounds so delicious! I'll have mine in the biggest glass you have , please :).

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  12. Haha, DEFINITELY make the panna cotta dessert again, in larger glasses - glad everyone loved the dessert so much (I don't blame them one bit - it looks magnificent!!)

    And KUDOS for putting your copyright logo in the center of your photographs - no need for those publications to steal your images again!

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  13. Two Panna Cottas straight up please! Those look just lovely - I want some right now!

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  14. What a tasty combination of pineapple and chocolate! Thanks for the other links!

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  15. We are having a bit of an Indian Summer as well. I love the addition of the pineapple. Hardly anyone puts it with chocolate and I love it with chocoalte.

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  16. Hi Meeta,

    You have a great blog here. I have been following your blog for couple of months but havent commented on it. So this time I thought I will do it with an award for you :-) Please pick it up from http://heartycook.blogspot.com/2008/09/cracked-wheat-idli.html. Hope you'll accept it.

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  17. Meeta, chocolate and cherries together are one of the most delicious combos... And this panna cotta is heavenly, my friend!
    Have a wonderful time!

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  18. This is lovely :). Really I love ur blog and pics. Wonderful

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  19. What a beautiful panna cotta! I've never made panna cotta at home, but this is very inspiring!

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  20. Thank you so much for all your comments. I too find pineapple and chocolate a great combination. Glad you are liking it too.

    rajee - thanks for the award. am very honored!

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  21. I think I want to make a batch as big as a cake pan.. Just to make sure I have enough (for myself) :)

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  22. Oh, yummy!!!! I love the top photo, Meeta! Thanks for the linky... x

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Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hugs
Meeta