Mango Panna Cotta ~ Indianized with a bit of cardamom, ginger andSaffron - Happy New Year 2012

New Year and New Resolutions!! new resolutions???....well I don't even think I completed my this year's resolutions!!!....so as one joke goes 'My New Year resolution is not to make any New year resolutions' :)....just take life as it comes and be happy!...
Be Happy I say -- can anyone be just happy with what one has?....we always want more, its human nature right!!...

Wishing all my Friends and my silent and secretive readers a very Happy and Prosperous New Year! May All your wishes and 'resolutions' come true! May you reach your goals and commitments with much energy and happiness as when you made them in the first place!! :)) Love to you all!

As all good things come at once or come pouring on you, here they are pouring on me...New year, 300th post.....what better occasion to celebrate!!

300th post!!! and what way can be more exciting to celebrate the coming New Year, than to celebrate it with something sweet and something delicious. Something easy to make and equally decadent to eat!
A guilt-free and sinfully yummy dessert made healthy and more over served up with fresh fruit!!

I couldn't get a more beautiful and easy recipe to blog about on this occasion. Thanks to my 'Facebook Friends' and wonderful 'blogger friends' who gave me this beautiful idea and passed on some wonderful recipes using mango. Out of a few, I chose to make Panna Cotta incorporating the mango completely into the mix. Since I was going to use canned Mango puree, I guessed that would be the best way to go.

I wanted to make a dessert which had to be palate cleansing and light, so the addition of ginger and saffron did the trick. The combination of these to ingredients with mango gives a awesome flavor. To make the light version I chose to make it with half and half (as David Lebovitz suggested). A Indianized Mango dish can never go without a pinch of cardamom to enhance the flavor to Kulfi style (yum!)

You can omit any of the ingredients as required. Adding brown sugar gives it a nice touch to sweetness! Regular sugar can be used in its place.

Ingredients:

2 and 1/2 cups half and half (you can use cream or whole milk for a more richer version)
1 and 1/2 cups mango pulp
4 tbsp brown sugar ( or 5 if you want it more sweet or use white sugar in its place)
1/4 tsp ground ginger (I added a bit more)
1/4 tsp ground cardamom or elaichi powder
pinch of saffron strands or kesar
2 packets of gelatin

Method:

In 1/2 cup of half and half, sprinkle the gelatin and leave it aside for 5 mins. (I did this first and did the rest next, so the gelatin had enough time to soften up, up to 10 min.). It blooms and softens up.

Heat rest of the half and half in a pan, until it just starts to boil.

Add the ginger, cardamom and saffron strands along with the brown sugar and whisk it in.

Remove from heat, add in the gelatin mixture and whisk so that it combines well.


Stir in the mango pulp and whisk it in well.


Pour into tiny tea cups or ramekins and refrigerate for about 2-6 hours.
Can be made the previous day, so that you can be sure it set completely!

To unmold - let the cup sit in a large dish filled with hot water for about 2-3 minutes and then turnover on a plate. If you have some more time before serving, or you think it melted more than required, immediately put it in the freezer, it will harden up beautifully and hold shape. This can be done after unmolding on to a plate too.

Serve it up just like that or with freshly cut fruit.

Enjoy!!!

Update: Thanks to an observant reader who reminded me that I had forgot to write the step in which I added the mango pulp in. I added that step now. Thank You!

Linking this to Srivalli's Snacks Mela.