- Merrill
After the nice response to my black tea jelly post the other week, I couldn't stop thinking about other creative ways to use gelatin. Then this weekend, prompted by two of our recent recipe themes (Your Best Spinach Recipe and Your Best Italian Dessert), I found inspiration. Why not try a savory panna cotta, infused with garlic and bay leaf and tinted with puréed spinach? I once made a tomato panna cotta for my final exam in cooking school, and it was a miserable failure, splitting because of all the acid. But I knew I wouldn't encounter that same roadblock with spinach.
So, on Sunday evening I got to work and this time was lucky enough to meet with success. Don't be fooled by the name of this dish: it's unapologetically rich, and merely "scented," as Amanda pointed out, with spinach. This panna cotta is not intended to serve as one of your 6 to 8 recommended daily fruits and vegetables. But it will win over your guests with its delicate, pale green hue, its creamy, garlicky flavor, and its seductive jiggle. I plan to serve it next alongside herbed leg of lamb and the first asparagus of the season. I hope you enjoy it!
Spinach and Garlic Scented Panna Cotta
Serves 4
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 fat clove garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup packed frozen or freshly cooked chopped spinach (thawed if frozen and as much water squeezed out as you can)
- Large pinch freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 packet (2 teaspoons) powdered gelatin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Merrill, so beautiful! Now thinking about possible variations such as half basil, half spinach... or even mint/spinach to go with your leg of lamb!
Wow! This looks incredible and so very original and inventive. Looking forward to trying it!
This is so beautiful! I love the idea of a savory panna cotta. Thanks.
My daughter and I make sport of rating panna cotta offerings wherever we encounter them - usually as dessert. But, panna cotta in any guise is most welcome and we will take great pleasure in giving this inspired version a whirl - thank you for expanding our horizons!!
So, so beautiful! If I were more organized I'd have added this luscious looking treat to our St. Patrick's day fare of ho-hum (looking) corned beef and cabbage tonight. The wonderfully green, silky and wobbly would have been the the MOST welcome addition. Maybe this weekend? Thank you, Merrill!
xo
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoYou're welcome!
Merrill, is it weird that I want to rest my cheek against that panna cotta? It looks so marvelously cool and silky.
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoNot weird at all. Although I wouldn't recommend it.
Sounds wonderful! Now, if only I could get someone to consider my "jiggle" seductive! ;-)
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoYou said it, sister.
I can't help but think how fun this could be in one of the old jello molds I have from my grandmothers. Imagine a two tiered star shaped green panna cotta. And it's St. Patrick's Day, too! Thanks, Merrill.
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoYou're welcome. I should have tried it in one of my antique molds, but I was afraid it would stick and we wouldn't get a photo!
that looks like a jade jewel i want to put around my neck! (and then eat).
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoWhat great imagery.
This sounds perfect for a Spring menu! I have to admit the ingredient "gelatin" has always put me off. I think it's time to dive into this one.
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoIf you do dive in, let me know how it goes!
Perfect for my next spring dinner party. If only the little devils slide out of their ramekins...
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoIf you dip them in hot water before you turn them out, these shouldn't give you any trouble.
I LOVE the color of it, so bright and pretty. This new obsession reminds of that Colwin essay, "Desserts that Quiver."
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoLove Laurie Colwin. Will have to revisit that one.
The seductive jiggle hooked me. I've been wanting to try panna cotta for some time, and this looks like the perfect one.
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoThanks!
So pretty! Thanks, Merrill.
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoYou're welcome!
Oh, fun! I played a little with savory custards last summer, so I will definitely have to give this panna cotta a whirl.
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoHope you like it! Let me know.
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