Pumpkin Spice Panna Cotta
A creamy, chilled dessert made with pumpkin puree and warm fall spices, set with gelatin into a smooth custard.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder one 1/4-oz packet
- 1 cup whole milk divided, 240 ml
- 1 cup heavy cream 240 ml
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 120 g
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 100 g
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the cold milk into a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin powder evenly over the milk. Let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes to bloom, until it has absorbed the liquid and become thick.
- While the gelatin blooms, combine the remaining 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk, heavy cream, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a medium saucepan.
- Whisk the mixture over medium-low heat until it is smooth and well combined.
- Continue to heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a gentle simmer. You will see small bubbles forming at the edges. Do not let it come to a full boil.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the bloomed gelatin and vanilla extract to the hot pumpkin mixture.
- Whisk for about 1 minute until the gelatin is completely dissolved and the mixture is uniform.
- Carefully divide the warm mixture among 6 small glasses, ramekins, or custard cups.
- Let the panna cotta cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes before transferring to the refrigerator.
- Chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until firm to the touch but still has a slight jiggle.
Notes
For a very silky texture, you can strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve before pouring it into serving glasses.
If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, substitute it with 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, and a pinch of ground cloves.
These can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. Once chilled, cover them with plastic wrap to store in the refrigerator.