dessert

These vegan coconut milk panna cottas are topped with a ginger cranberry compote and fresh surpremed ruby red grapefruit segments. They’re a great festive dessert option for the holidays, especially when served in dainty glasses. And, they’re under 10 ingredients!

Lately I’ve been feeling the need for simplicity in my food. At a time when there’s countless sources of stress present, simplicity is incredibly comforting and grounding. I posted something on instagram last week to the effect of recipe development feeling challenging lately as all I want is simplicity. I get tired of trying to “reinvent the wheel” with flavor combinations or cooking methods. I’ve caught myself several times recently wondering if a recipe was inventive or creative enough. But I’ve come to a point where going too over the top or complex all the time feels rather inauthentic.

So where does this dessert fit into this discussion? Well, I really love cranberries and fresh grapefruit this time of year. Their flavors and bright colors are most welcome as fare becomes heavier and more substantial. Once fresh cranberries start showing up in stores, I make easy jammy compotes to go along with my breakfast. I’ll spread it on toast, stir it into oatmeal, or eat it by the spoonful. As for grapefruits, I prefer ruby reds HANDS DOWN. I begin to crave their bitter and tart zing this time of year as they begin to ripen on the tree. Considering how much I love these two things, it wasn’t too great a leap to combine them in a recipe.

Since cranberries and grapefruit are rather tart, I wanted something creamy and mellow to balance them out. My brain went through a few wormholes before landing on panna cotta. Traditional panna cotta is made with heavy cream and gelatin but this version favors agar flakes and coconut milk for a delicious vegan alternative. To make these feel festive, I layered the compote and grapefruit segments on top of the panna cotta. And just like that you’ve got a multi-component holiday dessert that is vegan, gluten-free, and under 10 ingredients.

Coconut Milk Panna Cotta with Ginger Cranberry Compote & Fresh Grapefruit

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• Author: Courtney West
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

These vegan coconut milk panna cottas are topped with a ginger cranberry compote and fresh surpremed ruby red grapefruit segments. They’re a great festive dessert option for the holidays, especially when served in dainty glasses. And, they’re under 10 ingredients!

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Ingredients

• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 1 1/2 tsp agar flakes
• 2 tbsp raw cane sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, grated or finely minced
• 8–10 tbsp maple syrup (depending on how sweet you’d like the compote)
• 1 large ruby red grapefruit

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Instructions

Add the coconut milk, agar flakes, and sugar to a 2-quart pot (you want lots of extra room as the coconut milk bubbles up pretty high in the pan). Whisk everything together, then set the pot over medium-high heat. Once it begins to rapidly bubble, whisk it continuously for 2-3 minutes, then remove it from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract. Divide the panna cotta mixture between 4 small glasses. Allow the glasses of panna cotta to sit for 1 hour at room temperature, then move them to the fridge to chill entirely, about 2-4 hours.

While the panna cotta is chilling, make the cranberry compote. Add the cranberries, orange juice, ginger, and maple syrup to a pot set over medium heat. Stir occasionally while the cranberries burst. Once most of the cranberries have burst and the sauce starts to thicken, turn the heat down a bit. Stir the sauce regularly until it becomes jammy and turns a deep red color. Remove the sauce from the heat. Allow it to cool about 30 minutes at room temperature before you move it to the fridge to chill completely.

To prepare your grapefruit, supreme it: cut the top and bottom off the grapefruit then set one of these flat ends cut side down on your work surface. Slice lengthwise down the grapefruit, removing strips of skin until you have removed all of the skin and pith. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut segments of the grapefruit out from in between the white membranes. Do this over a bowl to catch the juice. Once you’ve removed all of the segments, squeeze any remaining juice from the membranes into the bowl. Discard the membranes.

To assemble: Spoon a layer of cranberry compote into each glass of panna cotta. You can put as much or as little as you want. Top the compote with 2-3 grapefruit segments and a spoon or two of the juice. Serve chilled.

Makes 4 panna cotta plus extra compote.

Notes

• If you’d like to elevate the recipe a bit, you cab opt for a vanilla bean in place of the extract. Slit it down the center then scrape out the seeds and add them to the pot along with the bean at the beginning of the recipe. Make sure to remove the bean before pouring the panna cotta mixture into glasses!
• If you’re not a grapefruit fan, feel free to replace it with any kind of orange you like.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: dessert