Apr 3, 2008

LIME YOGURT PANNA COTTA...GUILT-FREE INDULGENCE!

"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."
Laura Ingalls Wilder

Yogurt Panna Cotta...the healthier Option!

My love for panna cotta knows no bounds. This is one versatile dessert & absolutely sublime. The regular panna cotta is indulgent, creamy & quite the best thing that happened to my list of desserts recently. You can find my previous panna cotta posts here (Coffee) & here (Strawberry). Who can resist a panna cotta...& with a fruity, tangy lime sauce? YUM!!

Nutmeg flavouring the sauce...

This time I made it healthier too...by substituting a part of the cream with yogurt. It's adapted from a recipe I chanced by while at Baking Bites & was sold on the idea. This recipe is one that can make an appearance more often, without me feeling guilty of so many calories. ( I have to add that DH loves the 'authentic' Italian one...he says that's the real thing! Hmmmph, so much for my healthy attempt...but he lapped this one up nevertheless.)

This is a lovely healthy option of panna cotta...& is on its way to a delightful event...A Tasty Tools Blogging event! Every foodie is passionate about kitchen tools; adding taste to passion is Joelen @ Joelen's Culinary Adventures. The focus this month is on the kitchen grater and microplane”. These tools do a fine job grating spices, cheeses, various vegetables, etc.

Microplaner...my dream come true

I love it...the microplaner has taken precedence over all tools in my kitchen & is currently holding 1st place. I used it here for the lime rind, & used the nutmeg grater to grate some fresh nutmeg for the lime sauce ( recipe from All Recipes) ! Great fun for a GRATE event!!

Spice Grater...

Onto the 'grate' recipe then...using my tasty tools!!

For the Yogurt Panna Cotta
Ingredients:

Greek Yogurt - 2 cups (I used hung nonfat curd)
Cream - 1/2 cup (low fat)
Buttermilk - 1/2 cup (or half cup milk with 1 tsp vinegar; left to stand for 10 minutes)
Gelatin - 3 tsp
Water - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 4- 5 tbsp
Lemon extract - 1/2 tsp
Rind of 2 limes
Method:
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt + cream + buttermilk.
  • In a small bowl, combine gelatin and water. Microwave gelatin and water for about 30-45 seconds, until gelatin is melted.
  • Stir in sugar, lemon extract & zest.
  • Whisk gelatin mixture thoroughly into yogurt mix.
  • Divide into 6-8 very lightly greased ramekins and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
  • To unmould, dip ramekins in very hot water for a few seconds and invert on to plates.

For the lime dessert sauce:

White sugar - 1/2 cup
Cornstarch - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Freshly grated nutmeg - 1/4 tsp
Boiling water - 1 cup
Butter - 1tbsp
Zest of 1-2 limes
Juice of 1-2 limes (as tangy as you want it)
Yellow food colour

Method:

  • In large saucepan, stir together sugar, cornstarch, salt and nutmeg.
  • Gradually stir in boiling water, then simmer over low heat until thick, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove from heat; stir in butter, lemon zest, lemon juice & colour, if desired, and cool.
  • Drizzle the cold sauce over the unmoulded panna cotta, garnish with a sprig of fresh mint

...Sit back & indulge without guilt!

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26 comments:

Purnima said...

Deeba, am drooling o'er this! Beautiful color..lovely dessert!

Kalai said...

I am totally making this! Gorgeous, Deeba! :)

Dhivya said...

wow!looks so tempting girl:))

Rosie said...

Deeba yet again another gorgeous tempting recipe :)

Rosie x

familiabencomo said...

Deeba, dear, you make everything look so delightful, delicious & so darn easy! How do you do it all?!?! I just planted mint in my garden & seeing you use it as a garnish makes me impatient for it to grow.

Tanti baci, Amy

Susan from Food Blogga said...

I would be very suspicious if someone resisted panna cotta. Especially yours.

jasmine said...

I simply adore panna cotta and really like lime. Great dessert.

j

Divya Vikram said...

Tempting me a lot Deeba..Great dessert..Keep rocking..

Manggy said...

Beautiful! I totally thought that was a mango sauce, haha :) I wanna try this! Once I actually find *Greek* yogurt :)

Ben said...

I love that a lot of blogs that I visit are posting healthier food. That will help me with my "diet" Hehehe

This looks just amazingly delicious!

Cham said...

The panna cotta makes me feel guilty everytime with the calories, i love this guilt free version and the lime sauce wonderful

Nags said...

u have such a lovely way of presenting stuff. lucky kids of urs :)

arundati said...

oh!! thank god you came up with a low (er) fat version.....my body was going to disown me!! tangy lemon sauce....with nutmeg...sounds so good....

AnuZi said...

You have such an awesome blog here! I am nervous to even comment since baking is absolutely not my forte. But I gotta say I love the recipes and pics. Oooozing with talent :o) will be back for more.

Saswati said...

gr8 low calorie recipe Deeba ..already bookmarked to try and as usual lovely presentation.How come the dessert sauce looks so bright yellow..there isn't any mention of food colour in your recipe ?

Cakespy said...

It looks so, so delicious--refreshing and perfect for spring...but sweet and rich enough to satisfy!!

Sia said...

did u say guiltfree indulgance???? count me in ;) i just made shrikhand using greek yogurt and loving it... next its ur recipe's turn :)

vegeyum said...

Beautiful! I could eat it off the page. So very tempting, I think I will make it this weekend.

Joy @ Joy Of Desserts said...

Congratulations! You’ve earned an award for your excellent blog.
:-)

Andrew said...

That looks great....but I'm going to try the one that comes with guilt!

ANJALI J. said...

ur recipe looks interesting! i love the pics too..

Cynthia said...

Ummmm, just the thought of the sauce makes me excited.

SaraLynn said...

Looks fantastic, as always :)
Have a great weekend!

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Cakelaw said...

Guilt free panna cotta - now that's a winner in my books!!!

Sig said...

I am totally nuts about panna cottas... and I am sooo loving this sauce... that color is totally yummy!