Celebrate the Summer with these apricot, melon and rosemary Panna Cottas. They are dairy free, gluten free, low in sugar and infused with subtle seasonal flavors for a delicious and stylish dessert that everyone will love! These Panna Cottas are very easy to make and can be prepared the day before and stored in fridge for a dessert or a healthy snack ready to eat.

What is agar agar

To make this recipe vegan, I’ve replaced the gelatin traditionally used in Panna Cotta recipes for agar agar. Agar is one of the world’s great gelling agents and is widely used in cuisines. It’s an extract of seaweed originated from Asia. Agar can be found either in the form of a powder, flakes or even sheets. I recommend using agar powder which is easier to use. Agar can be found in any grocery store, usually in the baking shelf.

Agar is easy to use. You can either dissolve it in boiling water then add the mixture to your preparation, or directly combine the agar powder in your preparation and heat the whole. In either cases, bring the mixture to a boil and allow to simmer stirring continually for 3 minutes to activate the agar. Agar needs heat to activate and will set while cooling down.

Agar is a very powerful gelling agent. Always use agar with moderation, a little goes a long way. You can create different kinds of textures depending on the concentration of agar in your preparation. A low concentration of agar, around 0.25% in mass, leads to a weak gel that can be interested to slightly firm up a preparation. For a hard and rubbery texture, I recommend a concentration of about 1%.

How to prepare Panna Cotta with agar

First things first, you must prepare the Panna Cotta cream first as it will ask to set in fridge for at least 3 hours to firm up. To save time, you can absolutely prepare the Panna Cottas the day before and assembly with the sauce and brittles just before serving.

Preparing the cream is really easy. All you need is coconut cream, almond milk, agave for a little sweetness, rosemary and agar powder. For a very creamy Panna Cotta, I recommend to use full fat coconut cream with at least 85% of coconut.

I love to use rosemary and aromatic herbs in my dessert. But these are very powerful flavors that can quickly overtake the others. For a light and subtle rosemary flavor, I like to infuse fresh rosemary in a preparation, here the Panna Cotta cream. To this end, mix coconut cream, almond milk and agave in a sauce pan and add the fresh rosemary sprig. Bring to a boil, then reduce to very low heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. When you’ll remove the lid, a delicious smell of rosemary will fill the room.

Once the cream is well infused, remove the rosemary sprig and add the agar powder. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer stirring continually for 2-3 minutes to activate the agar. Use a cooking whisk to efficiently dissolve and spread the agar.

Then remove the saucepan from heat and pour the cream directly into verrines, small glasses or jars. Place in fridge and set for at least 3 hours. The cream will continue to firm up while cooling down.

How to make the perfect apricot and melon sauce

Now let’s move to the yummiest part of this recipe! This apricot and melon sauce will bring creaminess, sweetness and a touch of acidity to balance the whole dessert.

I love to roast my fruits before using in sauces. Roasting fruits in oven helps to release their sugar and enhance the flavors. It creates a gelatinous syrup that work perfectly in sauces. Apricots and melon are particularly amazing when roasted, and if you’ve never tried to roast melon, you’re really missing something!

To perfectly roast your fruits, start by preparing a light syrup. This is not necessary and you can simply use water to bake the fruits but you’ll miss this sweet syrup feeling. To make the syrup, all you have to do it to dissolve coconut sugar in water over medium heat, and add vanilla or any spices of your choice. You can also decide to infuse herbs and spices in your syrup.

Prepare the fruits, wash, dry, pit and cut into large pieces. I usually cut the apricots in half and the melon first in slices then in big chunks. Place the fruits in a baking dish and pour the hot syrup all over to well coat all the fruits. Bake for around 20 minutes, until soft and beautiful golden. If you see that the fruits start to become dry and burn during the baking time, baste them with their syrup as many times as necessary.

Once baked, remove from oven and allow to completely cool down. Place the baked fruits in a blender, try to scoop as little liquid as possible to get a thick sauce. Mix until perfectly smooth.

Almond Brittle

If I said the fruit sauce was the yummiest element of the recipe, I was lying! Almond brittles definitely are the best part! If you’ve never tried almond brittle before, well it tastes like the best creamy and chewy smooth caramel from your childhood. The one that sticks to your teeth and is addictive.

To make almond brittles you start by preparing a caramel with coconut sugar, corn syrup, water and a little butter. When making the caramel, make sure you’re stirring constantly to avoid it to stick to the saucepan and burn. Then fold in the almonds, stir to combine and continue to heat until the mixture reaches 300F. This step is important to get the right structure of your caramel and get that glossy and brittle finish when cold. To do so, I recommend to use a candy thermometer to accurately monitor the temperature.

When you’ve reached 300F, remove from heat and immediately add the baking soda, vanilla and cinnamon. The caramel will bubble and become cloudy. Pour the mixture on a greased cookie sheet and gently spread into a thin layer using a spatula. Be very careful when working with caramel, it’s very HOT! Allow to completely cool down at room temperature or in fridge. The caramel will firm up and become very hard and brittle.

Check out these recipes for more delicious Summer desserts :

• Banoffee Tapioca Pudding
• Raw Coconut and Lime pie
• Mint Chia parfait with Avocado Chocolate mousse
• Lemon and Poppy seeds Cheesecake
• Pistachio and Apricot Blondies

I love to see your creations! Don’t forget to tag me @alicepages on your photos on Instagram and give your feedback in the comments below if you make this recipe at home! Your opinion is my best reward.

Apricot Melon & Rosemary Panna Cotta with Almond brittle

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• Author: Alice Pagès
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 3 hours
• Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
• Yield: 3 servings 1x
• Category: dessert

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Description

This creamy rosemary infused Panna Cotta with apricot and melon sauce and crunchy almond brittles is the perfect delicious and stylish Summer dessert.

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Ingredients

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Rosemary infused panna cotta

• 2/3 cup full fat coconut cream
• 2/3 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp agave
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp agar agar powder

Apricot Melon sauce

• 200 g apricots
• 1/4 melon
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Almond brittle

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 3/4 cup silvered almonds
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
• coconut oil to grease 

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Instructions

Panna cotta

1. Pour the coconut cream, almond milk and agave in a medium sauce pan and stir to combine.
2. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add the rosemary sprig, reduce heat to minimum, cover and leave to infuse for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
3. When the cream is well infused, remove the rosemary sprig and add agar agar powder. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes stirring constantly using a cooking whisk. 
4. Remove from heat and pour the cream into small glass verrines. Place in fridge to firm up for at least 3 hours.

Apricot Melon sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Wash, dry, cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. Slice the melon, remove the seeds and the skin, and cut into medium-size pieces. Place the apricots and melon in a baking dish.
3. Prepare the syrup. Mix the water, coconut sugar and vanilla in a small saucepan. Place on medium heat and stir until the sugar has been dissolved.
4. Pour all the syrup over the fruits and bake for 20 minutes, until soft and golden. If the fruits start to dry during the baking time, baste them with their syrup as many time as necessary.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool down.
6. Place the baked fruits in a blender, try to scoop as little liquid as possible. Mix until perfectly smooth.
7. Spoon the sauce on top of the chilled Panna cottas and return in fridge for 30 minutes.

Almond brittles

1. Grease a cookie sheet with coconut oil and set aside.
2. Mix coconut sugar, corn syrup, water and vegan butter in a medium saucepan and put over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir constantly to avoid to stick and burn.
3. Old in the silvered almonds and continue to heat until the mixture reaches 300F. Use a candy thermometer to accurately monitor the temperature.
4. When the temperature is reached, remove from heat and immediately add the baking soda, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir well to combine and pour the mixture on the cookie sheet. Gently spread into a thin layer using a spatula – be careful, it’s very hot! Allow to completely cool down and harden
5. Break into pieces and add on top of the Panna cottas before serving.
6. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.

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Notes

1. For a very creamy Panna Cotta, I recommend to use thick full fat coconut cream.
2. You can prepare the Panna Cotta the day before and chill in fridge overnight until serving.

Recette version française

Panna Cotta Abricot Melon Romarin et tuiles d’amande

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• Author: Alice Pagès
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 3 heures
• Total Time: 3 heures 40 minutes
• Yield: 3 personnes 1x
• Category: dessert

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Description

Ces pannas cottas crémeuses abricot melon infusées au romarin et leurs délicieuses tuiles craquantes aux amandes font un parfait dessert, gourmand et élégant pour vos diners d’été.

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Ingredients

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Panna Cotta au romarin

• 150 ml de crème de coco épaisse
• 150 ml de lait d’amande 
• 1 c. à s. de sirop d’agave 
• Une branche de romarin frais
• 1 c. à c. d’agar agar en poudre

Coulis Abricot Melon

• 200g d’abricots
• 1/4 de melon
• 50 ml d’eau
• 2 c. à s. de sucre de coco
• 1 c. à c. d’extrait de vanille

Tuile aux amandes

• 60 g de sucre de coco
• 50 g de sirop de maïs
• 30 ml d’eau
• 25 g de margarine végétale
• 50 g d’amandes effilées 
• 1/2 c. à c. de bicarbonate de soude
• 1/2 c. à c. d’extrait de vanille
• 1 c. à c. cannelle 
• De l’huile de coco pour graisser 

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Instructions

Panna Cotta

1. Verser la crème de coco, le lait d’amande et le sirop d’agave dans une casserole et mélanger.
2. Placer la casserole sur feu moyen et porter à ebullition. Puis ajouter le brin de romarin, réduire à feu minimum, couvrir et laisser infuser pendant 10 minutes en remuant de temps en temps. 
3. Une fois la crème bien infusée, retirer le romarin et ajouter l’agar agar en poudre. Porter le mélange à ebullition et maintenir la cuisson à feu doux pendant 2 minutes tout en remuant constamment à l’aide d’un fouet. 
4. Retirer du feu et verser la crème dans des verrines ou des ramequins. Placer au réfrigérateur pendant au moins 3 heures afin que la crème prenne.

Coulis Abricot Melon

1. Préchauffer le four à 200°C.
2. Laver, sécher, couper les abricots en deux et retirer les noyaux. Couper le melon en tranches, retirer les graines et la peau, et le découper en gros morceau. Placer les abricots et le melon dans un plat de cuisson. 
3. Préparer le sirop. Mélanger l’eau, le sucre de coco et la vanille dans une petite casserole. Faire chauffer à feu moyen en remuant jusqu’à ce que le sucre soit complètement dissout.
4. Verser le sirop abondamment sur les fruits afin de bien les recouvrir. Enfourner pour 20 minutes jusqu’à ce qu’ils soient tendres et dorés. Si les fruits commencent à sécher, ne pas hésiter à les arroser plusieurs fois durant la cuisson.
5. Retirer du four et laisser refroidir.
6. Placer les fruits cuits dans le bol d’un mixeur en essayant de récupérer le moins de liquide possible. Mixer jusqu’à obtenir un coulis lisse et onctueux. 
7. Verser le coulis au dessus des Panna cottas une fois que la crème s’est raffermie. Placer au réfrigérateur pour 30 minutes.

Tuile aux amandes

1. Huiler un tapis de cuisson avec de l’huile de coco fondue et réserver. 
2. Mélanger le sucre de coco, le sirop de maïs, l’eau et la margarine dans une casserole et faire chauffer à feu moyen. Porter le mélange à ébullition en remuant constamment pour éviter qu’il ne colle et brule. 
3. Ajouter les amandes effilées et continuer de chauffer jusqu’à ce que le mélange atteigne 150°C. Utiliser un thermomètre à sucre pour surveiller précisément la température. 
4. Une fois la température atteinte, retirer du feu et ajouter immédiatement le bicarbonate de soude, la vanille et la cannelle, et bien mélanger. Verser le caramel sur le tapis de cuisson et l’étaler en une fine couche à l’aide d’une spatule – Attention, le caramel est brulant! Laisser complètement refroidir.
5. Une fois que la tuile a bien durci, casser des gros morceaux et décorer les Panna cottas juste avant de servir. 
6. La tuile aux amandes se conserve jusqu’à une semaine dans un récipient hermétique. 

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Notes

1. Pour une Panna Cotta très crémeuse, utiliser de la crème de coco épaisse entière.
2. Les Panna Cottas peuvent être préparées la veille et conservées au réfrigérateur.