Pandan Pannacotta with Coconut Jelly

One of my most favourite desserts is the Pannacotta. This silky and creamy Italian dessert is often found in restaurants during summer as it is served cold and usually has a contrasting flavour to give it a little bit of ooomph! Summer berries are most common, sometimes served fresh, made into a puree, couli or even jelly. Other accompaniments can be textural, such as a tuille, spun sugar, very thin biscotti, roasted nuts or chocolate filigree.

I made this version of pandan and coconut for a function and have loved the combination ever since. It is one of those that you can serve in a glass or unmoulded and on a serving dish. It is so versatile and can be eaten almost any time of the day, as a dessert after a meal or even a treat in the afternoon. I also made a ginger infused version with a Cointreau mandarin syrup last month for a challenge.

Ingredients (10 portions):

Pandan Pannacotta

600ml Cream
200ml Milk
125g Caster sugar
6 Gelatine leaves (can be substituted with gelatine powder – each leaf is 2g, which makes 12g, please follow instructions on your packet/box on how to rehydrate)
200ml Coconut milk
15ml Pandan essence

Coconut Jelly

2 x 400ml Coconut Milk
6 Gelatine leaves (can be substituted with gelatine powder – each leaf is 2g, which makes 12g, please follow instructions on your packet/box on how to rehydrate)
250g Caster sugar (optional)

Toasted Coconut

100g Shredded coconut

Recipes

Prepare Pandan Pannacotta

Combine the cream, milk and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Rehydrate gelatine leaves with cold water. Squeeze dry and set aside.
Remove from heat, then add gelatine and allow to infuse for 15 minutes.
Combine coconut milk and Pandan essence and add it to the mixture.
Strain and cool over ice to thicken.
Fill plastic dariole moulds with pannacotta mixture and refrigerate at least 6 hours to set.

Prepare Coconut Jelly

Warm the coconut milk with the sugar.
Rehydrate gelatine leaves with cold water. Squeeze dry and set aside.
Add gelatine leaves to the coconut milk and strain to remove any lumps.
Pour about 1cm over the already set pandan pannacotta layer.
Refrigerate at least 6 hours to set.

Prepare toasted coconut

Set oven to 200°C and prepare a tray with silicone paper.
Spread a thin layer of shredded coconut onto the tray.
Place into the oven and toast until golden brown.
Remove from oven to cool. Set aside for later.

Assembling the dessert

Sprinkle some toasted coconut on to the plate.
Un-mould pannacotta and place it in the middle of the plate on top of the toasted coconut.
Sprinkle a bit more of the toasted coconut on top of the pannacotta.
Decorate with palm sugar lattice (optional).

This dessert can be done in advance (a couple of days before) for a function/dinner. As it is cream based, it is important to refrigerate it and when unmoulded, to be served immediately. It can only keep for a week.