Coconut panna cotta with mulled strawberries

ingredients

• Panna cotta

  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 1/4 cup young coconut meat (or substitute with 1 cup soaked cashews)
  • 1/2 teaspoon agar-agar powder
  • 1/3 cup coconut nectar, raw agave syrup or another sweetener of your choice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted over a bowl of hot water

• Mulled Strawberries

  • 2.5 cup fresh strawberries
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon coconut nectar or other sweetener
  • few strips lemon zest
  • juice of 1 orange
  • 3 tablespoon organic white wine or brandy

• Decoration

  • edible flowers (optional)
  • chopped pistachios (optional)

method

• Panna cotta

  • 1

    Place all the panna cotta ingredients, except the melted coconut oil, in a blender and blend until there is a small amount of heat in the mixture to allow the agar-agar to activate – don’t let it get hot, though.

  • 2

    With the blender still running, add the coconut oil and blend until it emulsifies into the mixture.

  • 3

    Divide the mixture between 4–6 glasses or ramekins and leave in the fridge to set for 4–5 hours.

• Mulled strawberries

  • 1

    Meanwhile, chop strawberries into quarters and place in a non-reactive bowl (stainless steel, ceramic or glass) with the rest of the ingredients. Refrigerate for 2–4 hours to mull.

  • 2

    Before serving, remove lemon zest from the strawberries. Take a quarter of the strawberry mixture, blend until smooth then gently mix through the remaining mulled strawberries. Spoon onto panna cottas and decorate with edible flowers and pistachios if desired.

notes

Allow extra time for setting and mulling. You can stretch the quantity to six servings if you prefer.