The white series continue with this amazingly delicious raw panna cotta cream. I hosted a raw dinner party this saturday and the dehydrator was full with salty delights, so I had to come up with a dessert idea that doesn’t require dehydrating. There are a lot of desserts that fit in the picture, but I host parties quite often and I had made almost all of them. So this saturday asked for something new…

I wanted to create something light, without nuts, cacao and heavy ingredients, so the idea of coconut cream mixed with berries and a sweetener came easily. The texture, the puffiness and the taste of the coconut cream is something worth writing a poem for, but since I’m not a writer, I just made dessert :) The only problem behind the idea was the substance that would keep them together and this is where the word “almost” raw panna cotta cream came. I used agar-agar as a glueing agent. The agar is the vegan version of a gelatin, made out of red algae. It is derived by boiling the algae and then making it to a powder, so it is not raw. The good thing about it though is that it has no taste and no smell, the perfect thickening agent for any dessert, soup or meal.

raw panna cotta cream

• 1 can coconut cream, 400 ml
• 2 tablespoons agar-agar powder
• 1/4 vanilla bean
• 1/2 cup honey or agave
• 1 cup blackberries and raspberries
• a pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Heat 8 tablespoons water and agar-agar*, bring it to a boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes*
2. Combine the coconut creme, the sweetener**, agar and vanilla in the blender and mix until puffy and creamy
3. Pour some of the fruits in the cups and add the creme on top
4. Chill in the fridge for couple of hours
5. Garnish with the rest of the fruits and serve cold.

*Agar-agar needs to be heated to unlock it’s binding power. Use 4 tablespoons of water for each tablespoon agar-agar. Don’t heat the coconut creme or it will change it’s color from white to light brown.
**If you are using hardened raw honey, add it first to the warm water and agar to melt it a little bit and mix well, then add the rest of the ingredients.

Time for preparation: 15 minutes. Serves 4.

For the decoration:

1. Heat 12 teaspoons water and 3 teaspoons agar-agar
2. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes
3. Remove from the heat, add the sweetener and mix well
4. Place one fruit in each mini cupcake wrapper and pour the mixture on top
5. Chill for couple of hours, remove the paper wrapper and decorate the cups with the jelly.

bon appétit!