5-Ingredient Vegan Lavender Panna Cotta

I will admit, the dried lavender pictured was solely for aesthetic purposes

     5 ingredients and just over 5 steps--recipes don't get much easier. This is a #throwback to my days as an intern at the Rice University Farmers Market. I came up with this recipe when vibrant violas entered the scene at the market. Violas don’t have much flavor on their own, so I paired them with vanilla bean, infusing the latter into coconut cream. To gel the cream, I used agar-agar—a flavorless powder derived from seaweed. Getting that soft, barely-pudding texture of panna cotta took two tries to calibrate. The first attempt I went heavy-handed and ended up with little pucks of viola cheesecake. Cute pucks to be sure, and tasty in their own right, but no cigar. The second take was perfect with just the right resistance when scooped with a spoon.

     Aside from the Goldilocks (just right) texture, the best part about this treat is the lavender flavor, which is usually somewhat elusive to incorporate in sweets. Too much and you've got full-strength soap to wash out badmouths, too little and you're left with just plain old vanilla, if even that. Here, panna cotta is the perfect vehicle, a blank canvas with enough richness to balance the sharpness of the herb and showcase its full spectrum of flavors--woody, minty, even savory with a touch of sweetness. The floral tones are further accentuated by the vanilla lingering in the background. Better yet, the setting process helps the flavors infuse as well, especially if left overnight.  

     Overall, I love how easily this recipe comes together, heat all but the vanilla together to boiling to infuse the lavender and activate the agar-agar, then remove from heat, strain off the lavender and stir in the vanilla, pour into a greased mold. Now the hardest part, waiting a few hours until it’s literally all set.This is a great make-ahead recipe for a get-together or potluck. I’d love to see what other flavor combos are tried!

captured before digging in

||Vegan Lavender Panna Cotta||

Ingredients

• 1 tsp agar-agar powder
• 1L coconut cream*
• 1 heaping Tb dried lavender buds
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 2-3 Tb. light agave syrup or other sweetener

*I used a carton of Aroy-D coconut cream--I recommend this specific brand as I've learned not all coconut cream is created equal. If the 1000mL/1L carton is not available, 2.5 cans of coconut cream is your equivalent!

Directions

1.     Before you forget, grease a glass 9" pie pan or 10-12 small ramekins with vegetable oil.

2.    Heat coconut cream and lavender over medium-high heat.

3.     Sprinkle the agar evenly cream and stir well to incorporate.

4.    Bring to boil, and continue to let boil with stirring for another 3 minutes.

5.    Remove the cream from heat. Using a hand-held fine mesh, remove about 90% of the      lavender.  Add in vanilla bean paste and sweetener, mixing well. 

6.   Pour into pie pan or ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to fridge. Let set       for at least 3 hours.

7.  To serve, enjoy as is, or if you're feeling brave/fancy/beginner's-luck-kinda-lucky--  invert onto plate and enjoy!