Blood Orange & Cardamom Almond Milk Panna Cottas with Baked Mulberries
Blood oranges and mulberries are abundant right now, in the middle of spring, and eating seasonal produce means you’re getting what is fresh, local and cheap. Not to mention, blood oranges contain up to 40% more Vitamin C than regular oranges, and, unlike other citrus fruits, they contain anthocyanins, the same red flavonoid pigments that give blueberries their intense colours and amazing antioxidant properties. These delicate panna cottas are made using grass-fed gelatin, which is full of collagen, making it fantastic for gut-health, as it lines the gut walls, helping to prevent and heal leaky gut syndrome. It is also great for your joints, skin and sleep. The cardamom, blood orange zest and honey in these panna cottas creates the most amazing flavour, and being made on almond milk, these little delicacies are healthy enough for a special breakfast! They are inspired by a recipe from one of the most beautiful cookbooks I bought at the start of this year, called The Beauty Chef. It contains fantastic recipes for gut health and glowing skin and explains the correlation between gut health and overall wellbeing. You can read about this on the website: https://thebeautychef.com/blogs/blog/carlas-guide-gut-health-radiant-skin-wellbeing
Makes 4
Panna Cottas:
1 tsp. coconut oil, for greasing
1 blood orange, thinly sliced, rind removed
1 tablespoon cardamom pods
500mL (2 cups) almond milk (Pure Harvest Organic is great as it uses a higher percentage of almonds or you could make your own)
1 ½ tbsps. raw honey
2 tsps. gelatin powder (try to use grass-fed, if available)
Baked Mulberries:
1 cup fresh mulberries (could use other berries/fruit if not available)
80mL (1/3 cup) water
1 tablespoon raw honey
¼ cup chopped pistachios, to serve
Lightly grease 4 holes of a muffin tin with coconut oil (could also use ½ cup moulds).
Slice the blood orange in half and then slice two thin rounds from each half, to make 4 slices. Carefully use a knife and your fingertips to remove the rind from each slice. Set the rind aside (do not throw it away) and place one slice in the bottom of each muffin hole. Place the muffin tin in the refrigerator until needed.
Squash the cardamom pods with the back of a wooden spoon, then place in a small saucepan over low heat and toast for one minute, or until fragrant.
Add 375mL (1 ½ cups) of the almond milk to the cardamom in the saucepan, along with the blood orange rind, and allow to gently heat for five minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the honey. Set aside to continue infusing for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour the remaining almond milk into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top in a thin layer and set aside for 10 minutes to dissolve.
Once infused, strain the milk through a sieve to remove the cardamom and rind. Then return the milk to the saucepan to gently reheat, until warm. Remove from the heat and add the dissolved gelatin mixture and stir to combine. Set aside to cool.
Pour the cooled mixture into the greased muffin holes and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and arrange the mulberries in a small baking dish ( I used a loaf tin). Pour in the water and drizzle over the honey. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until they become tender and their juices begin to run. Set aside to cool.
To remove the panna cottas from the tin, use your fingertips to carefully pull each one away from the side (you can also carefully run a butter knife around the edge if this does not loosen the suction enough). Carefully turn the tray over onto the serving plates and ease the delicate panna cottas out.
Serve each panna cotta with the mulberries, their syrup and some crushed pistachios. Enjoy!