Feeling lonely, unloved, laced with a smidgen of self pity? Enter this silky pudding of zesty vanilla panna cotta on a thin, strong layer of full-bodied espresso custard. From top to bottom its flavours are mild and creamy, its texture smooth and just firm enough, and suddenly a burst of strong coffee hits the palate. You'll never need to spend your Friday nights alone again.
Recipe Notes
I experimented with this recipe in all sorts of ways, using all combinations of soy cream, milk, and yogurt. This vegan panna cotta recipe produced the most consistent result out of all the trials, but none of them were absolute failures. I guess my point is that you'll have a hard time making an absolute mess of this. The basic gist is somewhere around 1 teaspoon of agar per cup of liquid. You could get away with a little less for an extra floppy flan.
Vegan Panna Cotta with Lemon and Espresso
- Directions/Method
- First make the lemon layer. Mix the soy cream, milk, vanilla, brown sugar, lemon zest, and nutmeg in a saucepan and sprinkle the agar on top. Leave for ten minutes and then slowly bring to a light boil, leaving it for a couple of minutes before stirring. Stir every so often until the flakes are dissolved (5-10 minutes, give or take).
- Pour into a ramekin and set aside to cool. Refrigerate for a little while until set.
- To make the thinner espresso layer, combine the soy milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan. Sprinkle the agar flakes on top and again leave for 10 minutes before gradually heating to a slow simmer. Stir after a couple of minutes and every so often until the agar is dissolved. Stir the espresso in and mix thoroughly. Fill the remaining space in the ramekins with the espresso liquid and leave to cool again.
- Serve cold, in a bed of espresso if desired, with non-dairy whip or cream and a pinch of lemon zest.