Pomegranate Cardamom Panna Cotta

The fiance and I love panna cotta. We could probably eat it every night. I have already shared three panna cotta recipes with you and yes, I am adding another one today! I like to make sure we have something for "dessert" every night at home. Whether it is just a little bit of ice cream with some cut up banana, or some warm apple sauce, I like dessert. It is my favorite meal.

Panna cotta is so easy to put together and you can make it the same day and save the extras for the next day or you can even make it a few days in advance if you're having a busy week. It is flexible, you can substitute some yogurt for part of the cream and you can flavor it with anything from lemon peel to rosewater. I always top my panna cotta with some fresh fruit to lighten up all of that cream and for a little extra indulgence, I sprinkle the top with some chopped chocolate. So here you have it, my fourth panna cotta recipe for you!

Pomegranate Cardamom Panna Cotta (recipe adapted from Spise med Price)

Serves 4

11/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

1 deciliter sugar (I used vanilla sugar)

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped or 2 tsp vanilla extract

3 crushed cardamom pods

3 gelatin sheets

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

chopped chocolate for garnishing

Pour the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla extract or the entire bean with the seeds scraped, and cardamom pods into a saucepan and cook on medium-low heat until it comes to a simmer. When it starts to simmer, turn the heat off and place the lid on the saucepan and let it sit for about 10 minutes off the heat. 

Prepare the gelatin sheets according to the directions on the package, usually you need to soak them for about five minutes in cold water. While the gelatin sheets are soaking, remove the vanilla bean, if you have used it, and the cardamom pods from the cream mixture, and place it back on the stove and warm it up over a low heat. Turn off the heat, drain the gelatin sheets, and mix it into the warm cream. 

Pour the cream mixture into four serving glasses or bowls and place in the fridge for at least two hours to firm up. When you are ready to serve, sprinkle some pomegranate seeds over each glass and top with some chopped chocolate. And then just sit back and enjoy!

I love cardamom. It is such a strong spice and you don't need much of it, but the flavor is just amazing. I think I love it because of all those cardamom buns I ate while I lived in Sweden. I sat in St. Jakob's a few weeks ago with my friends in Lund and the entire place just smelled of cardamom, amazing!  Do you like cardamom? What do you cook or bake with it? 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!