Blood Orange Mascarpone Panna Cotta

My winter survival strategy goes a little something like this: hibernate, obsessively check the sunrise and sunset calendar to track the slow lengthening of days, and eat all the blood oranges.

I buy blood oranges every time I see them at the store, but I love snacking on them so much that this is the first time all season that I've managed to use them for a blog recipe. I'm so used to having a supply of them around that when I turned to the fruit bowl the other day, ready to make this panna cotta, I was surprised to find there was only one orange left.

Luckily, that single fruit yielded just enough vibrant zest and sweet juice to lend the perfect amount of citrusy brightness to this panna cotta. If you're not familiar with panna cotta, it's like an eggless pudding. It couldn't be easier to make. The name means "cooked cream", but I'd hardly even call it cooking--the cream is warmed over low heat for less than five minutes, just long enough to dissolve the gelatin. For this recipe, the gelatin and cream are whisked with blood orange juice and mascarpone for an extra creamy, cheesecake-like finish. The panna cotta is sweetened with honey, which adds a floral note that plays nicely off the bright flavors of the orange juice and zest.

The only difficult part of this recipe is waiting for the panna cotta to set, which takes 2 to 4 hours in the refrigerator. 

My refrigerator was actually much too crowded to accommodate a tray of panna cotta, so I had to make alternate arrangements. The closet where I keep my clothes is usually the bane of my winter existence because it's not insulated and keeps close to outdoor temperatures. However, this week I finally found my chilly closet's silver lining: it's the perfect place to chill panna cotta. (The second photo in this post was actually taken in my closet! It's long and skinny with a tiny window at the back, and I snapped the picture standing in the doorway.)

If you're with me in the crowded refrigerator boat but aren't lucky enough to have an Arctic closet, you could just try stashing these out on the porch for a couple hours. Don't let anything stand between you and panna cotta.

Pro tip: if you serve these with mini chocolate chips on top, they taste remarkably similar to cannolis!

Blood Orange Mascarpone Panna Cotta
Yield: 4-6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes, plus 2 or more hours to chill
Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or whole milk)*
1 teaspoon blood orange zest
1 tablespoon grassfed gelatin
1 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup blood orange juice
1 teaspoon orange or lemon extract, optional**
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey

*Cream will make a very rich panna cotta, whereas milk will yield a lighter version. You can also substitute 2 1/2 cups coconut milk for the cream and mascarpone to make this dairy-free.

**If you have one of these extracts on hand, they will deepen the citrus notes of the panna cotta. I use homemade orange extract, but also love Rodelle's lemon extract.

Place the heavy cream and orange zest in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin on top and let it bloom for about five minutes, until the surface of the cream looks wrinkled and some of the gelatin granules have dissolved.

If you plan to unmold your panna cottas for serving, grease 4 to 6 small ramekins (about 4 ounces each). If you plan to serve the panna cottas in their vessels, you can use small glasses or jars if you like and do not need to grease them.

Whisk the mascarpone, blood orange juice, extracts, and salt in a large bowl.

Place the saucepan of cream over low heat and warm, stirring often, until the gelatin has dissolved (rub a bit of the mixture between your thumb and forefinger to make sure it's smooth). Be careful not to let the mixture come to a boil or even steam--remove it from the heat if you start to see vapor rising from the edges. Turn off the heat and whisk in the honey until smooth.

Slowly pour the hot cream into the bowl with the mascarpone, whisking constantly, until uniform. If you'd like your panna cotta totally smooth, strain the liquid to remove the zest and any little clumps of gelatin (I did not do this because I like a little texture). Divide the mixture between the ramekins or jars and chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours, until set. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

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