Jackfruit and Coconut Panna Cotta

We are a multi-cultural family which means our menu rotation is very diverse. We enjoy the cuisine of my husband’s Cambodian culture along with the large variety of other Asian cuisines. Many of these recipes need ingredients that are only found at an Asian grocer. There are several large Asian grocers within driving distance of our home that have a wide variety of unique foods which I love to go browse. One of my favorite Asian food items is jackfruit. Jackfruit is a very large, sweet-tart fruit with an almost perfume-like scent, and it is delicious! My husband’s family uses it regularly in Cambodian desserts. Consequently, today’s post is my own easy, Asian-inspired dessert creation that I came up with years ago. Since I don’t have a background in Asian cooking I was happy that my husband enjoyed it so much and requests it. Did I mention it’s super easy?

If you’ve had traditional Asian desserts before then you know they are much lighter than typical American sweets. They are also not nearly as sugary. Asian desserts are often fruit-based or use sweet beans, ice, rice-based doughs, gelatins, flaky pastries, etc. They are not ingredient-heavy, nor are they dense. Some of these desserts may come across as a bland to those used to much sweeter treats. The first time my husband bought me a 3-color drink was when we were dating. I had never tried any dessert like this before, but I slowly ate the concoction of coconut milk, mung beans, flour strips, and ice. After slowly and contemplatively eating it I decided I liked it. Now, I like to enjoy one on occasion. Over time I learned to enjoy many other Asian sweets and look forward to trying new ones.

This easy dessert pairs excellently with Asian meals of course. I like to serve it after a dinner of salad rolls or grilled lemongrass chicken. It is especially nice to serve when the weather is warm since it is a chilled dessert. Make it a day ahead of time to make life easier. Serve the panna cotta in champagne or margarita glasses if you want to impress your guests!

Jackfruit & Coconut Panna Cotta

4 cups coconut cream

4 packs of gelatin

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of organic cane sugar (or enough to suit; white sugar is fine)

2 cans of jackfruit in syrup

Sprinkle 4 packs of gelatin over 1/2 cup of water and let sit for a few minutes. While gelatin is in water heat the coconut cream and sugar until simmering. Note: if you want to add more sugar for a sweeter panna cotta that is fine. The 1/2 cup sugar is to suit our tastes and keep in tradition with the lightness of Asian desserts. When sugar is dissolved and coconut cream is simmering remove from heat and stir in gelatin until dissolved. Divide and pour coconut mixture into desired containers and let cool in fridge. Chop up jackfruit and put back into syrup. Serve cooled panna cotta with jackfruit.

I love how fresh, colorful, light, and yummy this dessert is! Furthermore, it doesn’t heat up the kitchen in the summer and is an extremely easy way to impress family and friends with this light dessert. Enjoy your day!