Recipe: Panna Cotta Phangan-style

This panna cotta is derived from a recipe found on David Lebovitz’s site. His photos look a lot better, and his utensils and kitchen are all shiny, but then, he’s a pro.

Caroline made this dessert for our hosts, and they liked it so much that they asked for the recipe to incorporate into the menu once their resort is running. The main point of difference is the use of coconut milk, instead of cream. Also, the sugar is replaced with liquid coconut sugar, and the topping uses a local roselle wine, made right here on the island.

Remember, this dessert takes a few hours to set.

For four servings:

For the panna cotta
– 500 ml coconut milk
– 4.5 tablespoons of liquid coconut sugar (or honey)
– 3 sheets of gelatin

For the topping
– 1 cup roselle wine (or any red wine)
– 6 Tbsp sugar

Measure out your coconut milk, then pour it into a saucepan (‘saucepan’, in our case, is a kind of haggard pot, not unlike the sort you might see clunking on the backpack of a trekker). Next, stir in the coconut sugar.

Slowly heat your sugary milk. If it gets too hot to touch, then you’ve gone too far.

While your 'saucepan' is warming, soak your gelatin sheets in cold water, flipping the over occasionally.

While your ‘saucepan’ is warming, soak your gelatin sheets in cold water, flipping them over occasionally.

By the time your milk is warm, the sheets shouls be ready. Wring them out with your hands, then add them to the milk.

By the time your milk is warm, the sheets should be ready. Wring them out with your hands, then add them to the milk.

Stir until the gelatin is dissolved

Pour your mixture into four reciptacles, and put in fridge. The panna cotta takes 4-5 hours to set.

Pour your mixture into four receptacles, and stick ’em in the fridge. The panna cotta takes 4-5 hours to set.

And now, the sweet, sweet topping. Obviously, you want to make this AFTER your panna cotta has set.

This is a local roselle wine, made on Ko Pha Ngan island by a woman who grows the ingredients herself.

Measure out your wine (we used half the amount mentioned above, and realised afterwards that doubling the recipe would make it even more delicious) Add the sugar and stir constantly over a low heat.