Lavender & Blueberry Panna Cotta

A glass of lavender and blueberry panna cotta with blueberry sauce on navy material.

A silky smooth panna cotta delicately flavoured with blueberries and lavender.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword blueberry, chia seeds, lavender, panna cotta

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 25

Setting 4

Total Time 4 55

Servings

Calories 185kcal

Author Lauren

Ingredients

Blueberry Panna Cotta

1 3/4 cups milk, low fat
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp culinary lavender, (Note 3)
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup white chia seeds, (Note 4)
2 tsp powdered gelatine
2 tbsp water

Blueberry Sauce

1 cup frozen blueberries
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp corn flour / starch

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Blueberry Panna Cotta

Add 140ml of milk and 1 cup of blueberries into a small saucepan. Heat the saucepan over medium heat with the lid on and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the blueberries have burst and are wrinkled. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool with the lid on. (Note 5)
Pour the remaining 300ml/10.1 fl oz of the milk into a bowl or jug. Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract and stir well to mix.
Heat the milk in the microwave on high for 2 minutes or until hot. Place a fine sieve over the bowl so that the grates are sitting in the milk. Add the lavender to the sieve, stir with a spoon and leave to steep for 15-20 minutes. Lift the sieve out of the milk and press down on the lavender using the back of a spoon to extract the soaked milk. Discard the lavender.
Add the chia seeds to the lavender milk and stir to mix. Let the chia seeds sit for 10 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons of water to a bowl. Sprinkle in the powdered gelatine, stir to mix and then let stand for 1 minute. Then, heat the gelatine in the microwavefor 10 seconds at a time until dissolved. (Note 6)
Pour the chia seed mixture into a high-powered blender (I used a bullet blender) and blitz for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is smooth.
Add the prepared gelatine and cooked blueberry milk to the blender and blitz the mixture for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is smooth.
Divide the blueberry panna cotta mix between 4 moulds (either bowls or cups/glasses), cover with plastic wrap and place into the fridge to set for at least 4 hours.

Blueberry Sauce

Add 1 cup of blueberries to a medium saucepan. Combine the cornflour with 1/3 cup of water and pour into the saucepan with the blueberries. Stir to mix.
Simmer the blueberry sauce mixture for 10 minutes, gently stirring occasionally, or until the liquid has reduced and the blueberry sauce has become glossy and thick like syrup. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool.
When your panna cottas are firm, add enough cooled blueberry sauce to cover the tops. Serve the layered blueberry panna cottas! (Note 7)

Notes

Health benefits - Details regarding the benefits of blueberries and other ingredients in this recipe are in the post above.
Instructions with photos - Detailed in the post above.
Culinary lavender - Make sure you purchase culinary lavender (not regular lavender!), as it has less oils than regular lavender and is edible. I got my culinary lavender from Amazon.
White chia seeds - I used white chia seeds to help maintain a lighter purple colour. You can use black chia seeds, but your blueberry panna cottas will be much darker in colour.
Cooking the blueberries - This step is key to keeping that gorgeous purple colour later; without it, the blueberry panna cotta's will turn grey/brown. If the milk evaporates too much, just add a splash more.
Prepping the gelatine - Keep an eye on and be careful if using a small bowl, as the gelatine can bubble over the edges and cause a hot mess!
Adding the blueberry sauce - It is important to let the blueberry sauce cool before putting it on top of each panna cotta. Hot sauce will cause the gelatine to melt, making your blueberry panna cotta liquid and the layers uneven.
Dairy free – Switch the milk for unsweetened, non-dairy milk (preferably calcium-fortified).
Lactose free – Use lactose free milk in place of the regular milk.
Vegetarian – Swap the gelatine out for roughly 1 teaspoon of agar agar.
Vegan – Substitute the milk for unsweetened plant-based milk (preferably calcium-fortified), and the gelatine for roughly 1 teaspoon agar agar.
Storage - Will keeep in the fridge covered tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing the blueberry panna cottas, as it will likely affect the creamy texture and consistency.
Nutrition - Calculated per serve, assuming 4 serves.

Nutrition