Yoghurt Pannacotta with Pomegranate Seeds

This is a lovely light dessert that Tonya Jennings made when I recently visited and spent a glorious morning at the beach at her own Bathing Box in Brighton, where students of her Cooking on the Bay Cooking School are sometimes lucky enough to enjoy a picnic.

Serves 8

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Ingredients

480ml Greek yoghurt or organic natural yoghurt

480ml full cream milk

115g castor sugar

13g gelatine powder – 15g gelatine leaves

1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla paste

1 pomegranate

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Method

Gelatine powder:

If using the gelatine powder to make this pannacotta, pour 420ml of the milk into a saucepan, cut open the vanilla bean, splitting it lengthways and scraping the seeds into the milk. Add the bean to the milk as well. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve in the milk. *Scald the milk – just bring it to the simmer, and do not allow the milk to boil. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatine powder onto the reserved 60ml of milk and mix to soften and dissolve into the milk. Wait for a minute and add this softened gelatine to the hot vanilla infused milk, stirring to ensure the gelatine is well dissolved. Strain through a fine sieve and stir occasionally.

Place the pot into an ice slurry, stir until the mixture is cold.

Leaf gelatine:

If using leaf gelatine, use all the 480ml of milk, add the sugar. Place the gelatin leaves to COLD water to soften, and then squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Add to the hot milk. Strain through a fine sieve and stir occasionally. Place the pot into an ice slurry, stir until the mixture is cold.

Then…

Gently fold the yoghurt, a third at a time, into the cold, infused milk and gelatine mixture. Take care when folding the yoghurt into the gelatine mixture; ensure that the other ingredients are cold, otherwise the yoghurt will loose its stiffness and thin out. If added too briskly and overworked, it could also curdle.

Pour the mixture into dariole moulds, ensuring equal amounts in each; refrigerate until set.

There are a variety of ways to remove the seeds from the pomegranate and here we also wish to retain the juices. Cut the pomegranate in half. One way is to hold the half pomegranate over a bowl, rotate the pomegranate and smack it with a wooden spoon until all the seeds have fallen out. Or simply squeeze the pomegranate over the bowl and the seeds drop out, aided also by using a spoon. Carefully remove all the white membranes surrounding the seeds.

When ready to serve, remove the pannacottas from the fridge and leave to stand for a minute or two. To unmould use the tip of a small knife to run around the mould to create an air pocket and release the suction. Invert onto the serving plate.

Serve the pannacottas with the pomegranate seeds sprinkled over and around the pannacottas.

*Scalding point is just before the cream reaches boiling pint – it will appear to start “shimmering” or “shivering” before it erupts into bubbles.

Note:

3 teaspoons gelatine powder = 9 grams and will set 500ml or 2 cups liquid to a light jelly.

1 rounded tablespoon powder = 18 grams and will set 500ml or 2 cups liquid to a firm, moulded jelly.

Note that gelatine leaves vary in weight. Check on the gelatine leaf packet; titanium strength is the highest quality, weighing in at 5 grams per sheet, gold is 2 grams per sheet. It is wise to weigh them before use.

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