Blueberry Panna Cotta With Lemon Curd

Have you ever had panna cotta? It is so simple to make, but has a certain elegance to it when presented well. It is basically a creamy gelatin, which, if you have never tried it, might sound strange. But, it is actually delicious and absolutely perfect for summertime. This is one of my favorite desserts to make for my family because we do not eat a lot of grains, and I like to make it with pastured beef gelatin which is very nourishing for your body.

For the jam ingredient I use what I call a chia cheater jam. I always have chia seeds in the house, but never pectin, which is what you need to make jam jammy and jelly jellyish. So I just mix a couple of cups of fruit, a squeeze of lemon, a quarter cup of water, and a quarter cup of honey together, bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low, cooking uncovered for about an hour. I then pour the contents into a pint jar and add between a teaspoon and tablespoon of chia seeds, depending on the consistency I am shooting for. I don’t properly can it because it never lasts longer than a week or two. You can feel free to use whatever jam your family likes best! We had just gone berry picking when I came up with this recipe and I was trying to figure out what to do with the blueberry abundance.

RECIPE

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup milk

1 3/4 cups blueberry jam, divided

2 tablespoons grass fed unflavored pastured beef gelatin

1/4 cup lemon curd

1/3 cup blueberries

A handful of edible flowers (This is optional of course, but sure does look pretty. Make sure you do your research and know which ones are edible! Violas and pansies are perfect for this, however, watch out for flowers recently purchased from a nursery as they will most likely have been sprayed with chemicals. Make sure to wash your flowers before you use them)

1 )Mix all cream and milk together in large 4 cup capacity measuring cup. Pour 1 1/2 cups into sauce pan, leaving 1 cup in measuring cup. Add gelatin to reserved milk and cream mixture, allowing gelatin to bloom.

2) Add 1 1/2 cups of blueberry jam to saucepan with milk and cream, reserving 1/4 cup. You want to bring the mixture to a simmer without scorching it, use a medium low heat and stir every minute or two so that no milk sticks to the bottom of the pan.

3) When you see a few bubbles, it is time to pour the milk/cream/gelatin mixture from the measuring cup into the saucepan. Turn off heat and stir mixture for several minutes until all gelatin is dissolved. Any stubborn clumps of gelatin can be removed at this time.

4) Pour entire mixture into a pie plate. Use a rubber spatula to scrape pan to get all of the mixture. Allow to chill for about 6 hours.

5) Put lemon curd into pastry piping bag with a small round tip. Once I applied the lemon curd, starting from the center and spiraling outward, it looked like this.

I could have just left it like this, but it felt a little naked to me. So I put a flat tip on the pastry piper, used some blueberry jam (use the 1/4 cup you reserved from earlier) and just went back and forth over the top with it. Then I added some some violas around the edge and sprinkled about a 1/3 a cup of bluberries over the top.

6) Serve immediately. It tastes even more delicious with some freshly whipped cream. I made this treat to add to the menu for the monthly tea party I have with my four daughters and it was a hit. It would be perfect for a baby or bridal shower, brunch, or even a birthday.

Modifications/Notes

Panna cotta is traditionally prepared with all cream and half and half. We add some milk to ours to make it slightly less fatty (although the fats you get from pastured dairy products are good for you). Feel free to play with the ratios of the dairy until it fees right for you. You can even sub almond or cashew milk if you are sensitive to dairy.

If you do not already have grass fed beef gelatin in your life, you really should. It can be used to make homemade jello and gummy vitamins, and also added as a thickening agent to soups and sauces, even sipped in your morning coffee. It is so restorative, satisfying, and nourishing to your body as a whole and is excellent for helping to repair and restore gut health.

We like our panna cotta firm, so it can be sliced and served up like a pie. For a creamier panna cotta, use 1 tablespoon of gelatin instead of 2.

If you are vegan, you can make a version of this by skipping the gelatin and using more chia seeds. Then you would just mix all ingredients together and use about 1/2 a cup of chia seeds and your favorite non dairy milk. It will not acheive the exact consistency of panna cotta, but it will still be delicious.

We only use raw, pastured, or organic dairy products in our home. This is a decision I came too after years of research and study, my background is in holistic nutrition. If you haven’t made these switches yet, I urge you to do your own research into the differences nutritionally between pastured and conventionally raised animal products. Not only is it more wholesome for you to consume, pasturing animals is a much more humane practice than feedlots.

On edible flowers: flowers are such a beautuful addition to meals and they can also provide as excellent nutritional boost. They are vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant rich. Click here to learn more about different kinds of lowers that are edible (some may be in your yard right now!) and their nutritional and medicinal value.

Here are a few items that will be helpful in making this delicious dessert! All links on this page are affiliate links.