Pumpkin and Coconut Milk "Panna Cotta", or on being accidentally vegan and gluten free!

Sometimes a kitchen mishap can turn into a beautiful inspiration, like the other day when I overcooked a Thai dessert. I was making one of my favorite desserts from childhood, a sweet soup with chunks of pumpkins swimming in creamy coconut milk sweetened with palm sugar. The trick of it is to cook the pumpkin pieces just so that they are softened and cooked through, but still remain in tact – true to the Thai name of this dessert, "ordained pumpkin". The orange pumpkin chunks are shrouded in white, hence the name, you see? The overcooked soup - with broken bits of pumpkin tainting the white coconut milk a pretty shade of orange – was still good, but it could no longer be called ordained.

The color of the overdone soup was so pretty however, and the flavor no less delicious, that I thought I could play with this and turn it into something. So I pulled out the stick blender and puree the ingredients into a smooth cream, added a little bit of gelatin, et voila, a brand new dessert. It's a sort of Asian take on the Italian classic Panna Cotta. It retains the traits of Panna Cotta, cooked cream thickened ever so slightly with gelatin, cooled, then unmolded into a quivering mass, a spoonful of which melts into nothingness as it touches the tongue.

This pumpkin-coconut "panna cotta" has nearly the same silky texture, unmolds into just as trembling, quivering mound, but with an added bonus of being dairy free (for your lactose intolerant guests) and could even be vegan if using Agar Agar powder to thicken instead of gelatin. If you didn't want to bother with unmolding it to serve, just pour the warm mixture into old jam jars or small glasses instead of panna cotta molds. When it's cooled enough to set and serve, stick a spoon in it and call it a Pumpkin Pot de Crème.

With Thanksgiving festivities coming up, this dessert could be a delicious alternative for your finicky and dietarily restricted guests.

Poured into a pre-baked gluten free pie crust, cooled in the fridge until set, it will make a gluten free and dairy free pumpkin pie that even the most die hard butter and cream lovers can adore.

Use a vegan pie crust instead, and Agar Agar to thicken in place of gelatin, you've got yourself the smoothest and creamiest vegan pumpkin pie you'll ever have.

I love it when a mistake turns into such pretty, delicious, versatile - if accidental - invention.

Pumpkin and Coconut Milk "Panna Cotta"

2 heaping cups of pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into small cubes
This should be about 10oz or 300g of pumpkin. You can also use one cup of pumpkin puree instead. I use Kabocha or Potimarron, but I'm sure any pumpkin would work just fine.
1.5 cups (3.5dl) coconut milk
1 cup (2.5dl) water
1/2 (packed) cup (100g), palm sugar or brown sugar
1tsp salt
1 packet powdered gelatin, or 5g of sheet gelatin, or 1 tsp Agar Agar powder*

If using powdered gelatin, mix it with half the cup of water and let stand five minutes.

If using sheet gelatin, soak the sheets in enough water to cover until soft. Remove the gelatin sheets and squeeze out excess water and set aside.

In a medium pot, add the cubed pumpkin, coconut milk, sugar, salt, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin cubes are very soft. Add the gelatin water, gelatin sheets, or Agar Agar powder. Puree the mixture with a stick blender until smooth. You can also transfer the ingredients into a stand blender to puree, then pour the liquid back into the pot. Continue to simmer for five more minutes. Remove from heat and pour into panna cotta molds or jam jars, (or a pre-baked pie crust.) Let cool in the fridge until set. Unmold to serve or just stick a spoon in it!

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*A little note on Agar Agar powder: desserts thickened with gelatin will melt at much lower temperature than dessert thickened with Agar Agar. The plus for Agar Agar is it will unmold easier, and your panna cotta stays in shape for a long time even at room temperature, whereas the one thickened with gelatin should be served soon after it leaves the fridge. Beware that panna cotta thickened with Agar will not melt in your mouth and give you the same creamy mouthfeel as one that uses gelatin. But if you are particular with animal products, from which gelatin is made, then Agar Agar will be a good solution for you.

Comments

[foodette]

I love that bright color! It sounds delish, too.

[HolyBasil]

I've tried with little success to use agar-agar in place of gelatin. This recipe sounds great and I will certainly try it very soon. Thank you for all the tips. Alors, bravo.

[Jimmy-in-Seattle]

Wow...such a "60's" photograph. Brilliant! Intense! Beautiful!! Good-job P. I love it...can you tell?

[Sophie]

Yum! This sounds great. I thought it was going to be a savoury, starter type dish when I read the title - I wonder if an unsweetened version would work out well too

[Evelin]

I'm particulary in love with all kinds of dishes, both desserts and savoury ones, that include coconut milk. I can only imagine how I'd adore this dessert!:) I'm going to add it to my must-make list when we have pumpkin at home.
Thank you!

[Sanja]

I was just looking for pumpkin desserts yesterday. I did find very interesting Pumpkin "Creme Brulee" but yours Pumpkin "Panna Cotta" seams much simpler solution. I'll try it today for sure! Thank you for shering this great recipe with us.

[B]

That looks delicious!
However if I was making it into a pie, I don't think I prevent myself from adding some cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves... although I wonder how that would work with coconut flavours?
Although there are some things you can't make 'undelicious' no matter how hard you try.

B
http://handtomouthkitchen.wordpress.com

[riya]

looks yummy!

[Laurent]

I love panna cotta. One of my favorites, served at Yakitori Totto in New York, is made of tofu, gelatin and flavored with apricot. They also serve a green tea version.

But I had never thought about a recipe that would contain pumpkin and coconut milk. It looks delicious and sounds like a good idea for Thanksgiving indeed. Will try it some day.

Thanks for this lovely recipe.

[Casey]

The color is absolutely gorgeous. What a great save of an almost-failure.

[EB]

Come this time of year I am a pumpkin whore! This I will definitely have to try!

[Diane]

The pumpkin/coconut milk dessert is also my favorite! Plus, it's easy, so I can (and do) make it at home, unlike some of the more complicated ones. This looks like a lovely twist on that, and I will definitely make it this holiday season.

[shuna fish lydon]

Inventive and brilliant! Hurrah for squash desserts!

A few other notes, if I may add:

powdered gelatin sets pannacotta very differently than leaf gelatin. Powdered will soften at room temp but sheet will hold up a bit longer. If one wants to use Agar Agar, please don't do what I did: do not get the all natural one. It will make your desserts taste of seaweed. Now, of course, this might be right up your alley...

Also I imagine if one were to play a bit more with the ratios, there could be an argument for using the natural starch-thickening power of the squash to make all the necessary "set-up" action happen...

[Poopo]

Wow ... c'est vraiment jolie !
The colour and texture look amazing.

[Lori Lynn @ Taste With The Eyes]

I love that you serve it plain, with no garnish. Beautifully simple.

[Amy]

This sounds wonderful! Love the use of coconut milk.

[wheatlessbay]

Very nice. I'd like to try steeping kaffir lime leaves in the cream up until the gelatin step. Just to see. That might be too green for a dessert, or it might be a pleasant surprise.

[Cakespy]

This looks like something that truly transcends labels...it may be vegan and gluten free, but foremost is good!

[faustianbargain]

hola, pim...we have a similar dessert..sans the agar agar and its dairy. thanks for this..vegans will appreciate this version. i know that i am going to include this in the fall menu..maybe set in blanched and hollowed out baby pumpkins..i'd probably add cardamom because i am like that...a cardamom freak....nicely done, lass.

p.s. i am testing a script blocker...sorry if this is being posted multiple times.

[Claire]

What a gorgeous little dessert! And I love the suggestions of cinnamon and cardamom...I'd add a little ginger powder, maybe? I love my pumpkin with just a little ginger - I wonder if it would work with the gelatinous texture. Love the concept, though - especially turning disaster into delicious.

[veron]

I just made saffron panna cotta recently and put them in a little jars similar to yours. Wonderful save on that thai dessert.

[Karen]

How beautiful!
My better half is dairy-free; he will love this.

[Alisa]

Ah, coconut milk to the rescue! That looks wondeful.

[faustianbargain]

claire..wow..yes..ginger and pumpkin. extending it..a touch of saffron with the ginger/pumpkin will add another dimension.. would intensify the colour and add a layer of warmth between the mellow pumpkin and the sharpness of the ginger..

[Hillary]

I think you've won me over. I've been obsessed with coconut milk anything lately...AND I've been craving pumpkin. Maybe I will try "accidentally" making this too :)

[Marc DiBiaso]

Pim
Can you suggest a couple of good brands of coconut milk?

[Chubbypanda]

Some of the best food products were the result of mistakes. Take champagne for example.

"Oh no! We screwed up the wine!"

*pop*

"Ooooh... Fizzy..."

[faustianbargain]

chubbypanda, i completely agree with you that the best food products are a result of mistakes....altho' fizzy wine isnt one of them..and it was by an englishman..not dom perignon!..i dont even think he came up with the idea of fizzy wine in the region of champagne..altho' he did contribute a lot to the process and technique...

i'd like to think of the tarte tatin as a nice example of a culinary mistake with a happy ending...what do you think?

[Pim]

foodette,
It's delicious, if I may say so myself. ;-) You should try.

Holybasil,
Thanks, and cheers.

Jimmy,
Thanks.

Sophie,
Making it savory sounds like an interesting idea. I have to try it sometimes.

Evelin,
Cheers.

Sanja,
I guess you could sprinkle some sugar on top of this and brulee it, if you want a pumpkin creme brulee.

B,
I don't see how the spices would clash with coconut milk. It's a good idea.

riya,
thanks.

Laurent,
I love Yakitori Totto.

Casey,
Thanks. It really was that bright orange - no photoshop or anything.

EB,
I'm right there with you.

Diane,
It is really simple. Do it!

shuna,
Thanks for the note about gelatin and agar agar. I use the Agar powder from the telephone brand from Thailand, I've never got a seaweed taste from it at all. It's really quite neutral.

Poopo,
merci

Lori Lynn,
It's so gorgeous by itself I didn't feel the need to garnish.

Amy,
Thanks.

wheatlessbay,
I'm not sure about Kaffir leave, but do try and let me know how it turns out.

Cakespy,
Totally.

Faustian dear,
Cardamom will be great I'm sure.

Claire,
Or perhaps just add a slice or two of ginger during the cooking?

veron,
I'm sure the saffron panna cotta was gorgeous too.

Karen,
I'm sure he will.

Alisa,
thanks

Hilary,
Yes, do try.

Marc,
I use Mae Ploy or Chao Koh.

Chubbypanda,
Totally.

[Simon]

Pim,

I followed your recipe and it was delicious! My one year old son kept saying "encore! encore!" after eating his full serving.

I put a teaspoon of crème d'érable on my serving and it wasn't too shabby either. A crème d'érable is a cream-based liqueur which has maple syrup as an ingredient. I used Désirable, made by the Vinerie du Kildare.

Thanks for the recipe, that one's a keeper!

Pim says....

Simon,

That's so great. I've never heard of crème d'érable, only sirop d'érable. Learn something new everyday. Thanks.

[N]

What a gorgeous picture. It looks like a Pucci.

Pim: the recipe is fantastic. I passed it to a friend of mine, who is also the president of my book club. He bakes for all our meetings, and this was one of his biggest hits yet. So your panna cotta pairs wonderfully with Anne Sexton's "Transformations."

[ZenKimchi]

I just made it tonight, and my girlfriend, who usually criticizes my Western desserts as being "too sweet" licked one cup clean before it had a chance to cool down.

[susan]

Your panna cotta looks amazing. I made the veganized version using 1 tsp agar agar powder (expensive bulk stuff from my co-op) and found that the agar powder made the panna cotta taste very very salty. I was so sad because right before I put the agar powder in I tasted the mix and it was heavenly, then when I tasted it after it had set, it was like eating a creamy salt lick. Last week I tried coconut milk panna cotta with agar flakes and the flakes did not impart any saltiness so I'll try this again with flakes instead of powder... when I have a pumpkin again. Thanks for this yummy panna cotta though.