CARDAMOM PANACOTTA WITH POMEGRANATE REDUCTION

Fruits & berries with their vibrancy, sweetness mixed with tartness are my favorites. I can never take my eyes off from their hues in the supermarket, so I never let any chance not to include them in my shopping list. Not only do they add a fresh flavor to desserts & salads, they are also packed with more nutrients than any diet plan you may be on! I experiment with fruits very often, and including these fruits in the recipe was not only easy, but also had the simplest flavors that were delicious and refreshing. You can check for these recipes like Pomegranate Ice Cream, Strawberry Pancakes, Cottage Cheese & Fruit salad, Tricolor PanaCotta etc.

Among all the fruits and berries , Pomegranates have always attracted me because its colour is so beautiful and vibrant and the seeds look just like little red jewels.  Besides its look and taste ,this fruit gives great health benefits too – the juice keeps blood thin and helps prevent blood cells from clumping together, while the antioxidants keep cholesterol levels low.

Though I am not a person who believe in celebrating Valentine's day, but prefer to bask in it 365 days because the Feeling of Love is awesome.To celebrate the season of love, I have decided to make a series of recipes you can try at the comfort of your home on this coming Valentine's Day and the year ahead.And what better start than this No bake Italian dessert with cream and milk called Panna cotta which means “cooked cream” in Italian. its a softly set pudding which is creamy yet firm. Generally gelatin is used to set this pudding. Panna cotta can be wholly made with cream or with a combination of cream, milk and fruits. 

So here is my take on this classic Panacotta recipe which I had made for my family who are close to my heart with Cardamom flavour and with Pomegranate reduction.

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Setting Time: 4 hours

Serves-4

Ingredients

For The Cardamom Panna Cotta:

• 200 ml Amul Cream
• 200ml Full fat milk 
• ½ cup Sugar 
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 2 teaspoon Gelatin
• 2 tablespoon Cold water

For The Pomegranate reduction:

• Seeds of half a Pomegranate 
• 2 teaspoon  cornflour 
• ¼ cup  water
• Sugar to taste

For Garnishing:

• Few Pomegranate seeds
• 2 to 3 mint leaves

Let's Learn How to Make this Recipe:

• In a small bowl, place the gelatin and pour the water over it. Let rest for about 20 mins. The gelatin will turn into jelly like mixture.
• In a pan, combine cream, milk and sugar and bring to a rolling boil, stirring in between. Do this on a medium flame. Once it starts boiling over, add the cardamom powder and mix again.
• Once done, take about 2 tbsp of this mixture and add to the gelatin and mix well.
• Add this immediately to the hot milk mixture and combine well using a balloon whisk.
• Let it cool down a bit. Pour into ramekins or any other glass bowl and let it set in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.

To make the Pomegranate reduction:

• Cut the pomegranates in half. Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Using your fingers, scrape the seeds into the sieve. With the back of a  wooden spoon ,press on the seeds to extract the juice. Discard the seeds and set the juice aside.
• In a medium saucepan, mix the cornstarch with the sugar. Slowly stir in the pomegranate juice and mix well. Cook this over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mix begins to thicken and darkens to a deep wine color, and the  mix coats the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Before serving the Panacotta, de mould it from the ramekin or glass bowl into the serving plate. 
• Pour the Pomegranate reduction on it, Place some pomegranate seeds and mint leaves on top and serve immediately.