Blue Plate Catering Chef Louella Caringal knows all about cooking for large groups of people, and she joined us in our ABC7 studio to show us how to make a delicious and very patriotic-looking dessert: Almond Milk Panna Cotta with Raspberry Gelee and Blueberry Compote in a Jar!
This festive dessert honors the Fourth of July by showcasing layers of red, white and blue. It is garnished with a "Poprocks Streusel" as an added textural bonus that creates a "fireworks" explosion with each crunch. This is a dessert you can prepare ahead of time, so you can enjoy the holiday outside the kitchen.
Almond Milk Panna Cotta, Raspberry Gelée, Blueberry Compote in a Jar
You will need canning jars. These are available online and/ or most grocery stores. Used jelly jars would work just fine, as long as you have enough, and they are properly washed and sanitized.
The following recipes will yield approximately 10 servings.
Blueberry Compote
- Ingredients:
- 2 pints Fresh Blueberries
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Tbsp. Pectin
- 1/4 cup Water
- Instructions:
- In a small sauce pot, combine the sugar and pectin, and mix together to prevent lumps from forming.
- Add 1 pint of blueberries and the water.
- Cook over medium heat until the blueberries break down and slightly thicken.
- Turn off the heat, and add the other pint of blueberries.
- Let cool before assembly.
Almond Milk Panna Cotta
- Ingredients:
- 3 tsp. (10 g. packet) Powdered Gelatin
- 3 Tbsp. Water, cold
- 1 cup Almond Milk
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 3 cup Heavy Cream
- 2 tsp. Almond Extract
- Instructions:
- Sprinkle the gelatin in 3 Tbsp. of cold water to "bloom".
- In a medium sauce pot, heat the almond milk, and add the sugar. Stir until dissolved.
- Take off the heat, and add the bloomed gelatin. Stir until dissolved.
- Add the heavy cream and the almond extract.
- Cool to room temperature.
Raspberry Gelee
Frozen Raspberry Puree; substitute: Raspberry Jell-O
- You can also prepare your own raspberry puree using this recipe:
- 2 pints Fresh Raspberries
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 cup Water
- Instructions:
- Combine these ingredients in a small sauce pot, and cook until the raspberries have broken down completely.
- Take off the heat, and purée. (You may use a hand blender, blender or food processor to puree until smooth).
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
- For the Raspberry Gelee recipe:
- 2 tsp. Powdered Gelatin
- 2 Tbsp. Water, cold
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 cup Raspberry Puree
- Instructions:
- Sprinkle the gelatin in 2 Tbsp. of cold water to "bloom".
- In a small pot, heat the sugar and water until sugar is dissolved.
- Take off the heat and add bloomed gelatin.
- Whisk in the raspberry puree.
- Cool to room temperature.
"Poprocks Streusel"
- Ingredients:
- 1 stick (4 oz.) Butter, unsalted, cold, cubed
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- Pinch Salt
- As needed Poprocks Candy
- Instructions:
- Cube the cold butter.
- Combine all the ingredients (except the candy) in a mixer or food processor and mix until butter is pea sized. DO NOT OVER MIX OR IT WILL TURN INTO DOUGH!
- Spread the crumbled mixture on a parchment lined sheet pan, and bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Stir and break up the mixture, and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool to room temperature.
- Before assembly, fold in the poprocks candy.
- How to assemble:
- Take a few heaping spoonfuls of Blueberry Compote, and place it on the bottom of each jar. Slowly fill the next layer with the Almond Panna Cotta base (leaving 1 1/2" of space from the top of the jar).
- Let the panna cotta set in the refrigerator for about 1 hour until firm.
- Next, pour a thin layer of Raspberry gelée to finish.
- Let set in the refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes.
- Cover each jar with its lid.
- This 3-layer dessert can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. Before serving, sprinkle the top of each dessert with a handful of poprocks streusel.
