Horchata panna cotta is a Mexican (the horchata)/Italian (panna cotta) fusion dessert that when blended together, make for one amazing experience. If you are not familiar with horchata, it is a milk made from soaking rice (the Mexican version) or nuts (which is done in other parts of the world) until you achieve a milky liquid and then flavor is added to that.
This horchata is the Mexican version which I really like and it is great to make when it is really hot outside and you are looking for something to help you cool down and replenish nutrients.
When made into a dessert like in this panna cotta, it is perfect anytime of year. Since horchata already has the cinnamon and vanilla base I knew it would work so well in a custard form like panna cotta.
If you have never made panna cotta before, you are in for a real treat. It is very easy to make because it is not a “true” custard since it gets it help from gelatin. It is as simple as heating your milk, vanilla and cream with sugar then adding the gelatin and letting it set up in the refrigerator until firm.
Its a great dessert to learn if you are not great with baking or pastry making!
Your first step in creating this panna cotta will be to:
Make the horchata. You can Grab the Recipe Here.
You will have extra horchata left over from the recipe above but that is just a bonus! With the extra horchata you can use it as is, as a drink or make some nice cocktails with it by adding some rum or vodka.
Once this is done, you can proceed to the panna cotta step below.
If you are pressed for time and do not feel like doing the whole horchata dessert, a traditional panna cotta is very quick to assemble and only needs time to set up in the refrigerator. If you choose to do the traditional panna cotta and not the horchata version then just follow this link to: my traditional panna cotta recipe!
I do hope you give this one a try because it is really good and worth the extra effort to make the horchata.
Horchata Panna Cotta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 1/2 tablespoon powdered gelatin
- 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups of horchata
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Stir to distribute, and set aside to soften 2 to 3 minutes.
- Get out your dishes (ramekins) that you will be pouring the panna cotta in and set aside. Depending on the sizes of your ramekins is how many you can fill so anywhere between 5-8 ramekins.
- Half-fill a large bowl with ice and add enough water to make an ice bath and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the cream, horchata, cinnamon stick and sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Remove from heat, and take out the cinnamon stick and then whisk in the softened gelatin and the vanilla extract.;
- Set the saucepan in the ice bath (making sure the top of the saucepan is well above the surface of the water), and whisk until the mixture is lukewarm.;
- Pour mixture into ramekins and chill at least 6 hours or overnight. If you’re going to keep them longer than overnight, cover them with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap gently against the panna cotta to prevent a skin from forming.
- You can top the panna cotta with crushed biscotti like I did or a little sprinkle of cinnamon.
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Such a clever idea using the horchata recipe to creat this panna cotta! this is a must try, so creative and it looks amazing
Thank you Albert! It is extra amazing in this custard form 🙂