As the weather gets nicer, and by that I mean warmer (I’m in Ottawa after all), I start looking for cool desserts, and panna cottas are perfect sunny weather treats! These are so easy to make and so delicious! Panna cotta in Italian means cooked cream, so you just warm up some cream, add sweetener and some gelatin and you have a panna cotta.
Traditional panna cottas are flavoured with vanilla, with a simple fruit or compote garnish. Today, I’m giving these a north African twist, by using Moroccan saffron and culinary argan oil. The result is a gorgeous yellow dessert that reminds me of Spring and sunny days to come, with a subtle sweetness and a je ne sais quoi essence - it is hard to descipher the flavour, but it is so yummy you don’t want it to end!
I’ve been using this culinary argan oil by Idora, and let me tell you, it is DELICIOUS! It is an organic roasted argan oil and I wanted to use it on other recipes (I drizzle it on my salads every day); when I was gifted their saffron to try out I came up with this recipe. Both ingredients make these panna cottas special, but if you don’t have the argan oil, you can still make the saffron panna cotta. A tip on the saffron, make sure you crush it to a powder before adding it to the cream, as it will colour and infuse the cream much better than leaving the strands whole - since it is an expensive spice, you want to make the most of it.
If you’re in Ottawa and want to try these products, send me a message and I’ll put you in touch with the vendors. Otherwise, you can order from their website. I hope you try this recipe and let me know what you think!
Saffron Argan Panna Cotta
400 ml 35% cream plus enough milk to make 2 1/4 cups total
3-4 Tbsp sugar, or to taste
1/4 tsp saffron threads, crushed
1 Tbsp culinary argan oil
Pinch salt
2 Tbsp water
2 1/4 tsp unflavoured gelatin
Chopped pistachios or almonds for garnish
In small saucepan place cream, milk, sugar, saffron, argan oil and salt. Heat over medium low heat, stirring, until sugar has completely dissolved. Bring it just to a slow simmer, then turn off the heat and steep for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix water and gelatin. Let it soften for 2 minutes.
This recipe makes about 600ml, pour mixture into 4 small glasses or jars, cover and chill for 6 hours, preferably overnight. Serve, garnished with pistachios.
Serves 4.