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.
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.