Hands down, my favorite desserts in the world include anything custard-based. Crème brulee? Oui. Rice pudding? Oui Oui. Crème caramel? Can’t say no. Panna cotta? Irresistable. Add with an added hint of sweet fruit, whether fresh or in the form of a tart sauce, dessert can’t be served soon enough. As a diner, I just can’t resist the creamy texture and perfect sweetness of these desserts, and as a cook, I can’t resist the simplicity of ingredients and the simple cooking methods involved in each creation.
The whole wheat pate sucree pressed into the tart pan
The crust, covered with parchment paper and filled with dried beans, ready to be blind baked
My love for panna cotta in general was elevated when I spent time in Italy last year. This eggless custard dessert is simply a mix of heavy cream, whole milk, sugar and vanilla. Cooked until the sugar is dissolved and then thickened with powdered gelatin, this chilled, creamy dessert is perfection. My Panna Cotta Tart with Pomegranate Sauce is an unique and elegant way to serve this classic dessert; simply a whole wheat pate sucree crust pressed into a tart pan and baked, then filled with a panna cotta mixture and chilled until ready to be served. To brighten up the dish with extra flavor and a beautiful splash of color, I reduced some tart pomegranate juice with a touch of orange juice until thick and then sprinkled in some fresh pomegranate arils. This dessert is so grand, an afternoon slice with an espresso might be in order sometime very soon…
The pomegranate reduction and arils
The whole wheat crust filled with the panna cotta mixture, ready to be chilled
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Panna Cotta Tart with Pomegranate Sauce
Ingredients:
- Makes 1 tart ( I used a 4-inch by 12-inch tart pan, but any shape will do as long as it has a removable bottom)
- For the crust: (half this Martha Stewart recipe, and substitute whole wheat flour for all purpose flour)
- http://www.marthastewart.com/336048/pate-sucree
- For the panna cotta:
- 8 oz. heavy cream
- 8 oz. whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- For the sauce:
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 2 Tablespoons orange juice
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup pomegranate sees (arils)
Directions:
- For the crust, I followed Martha Stewart’s pate sucree recipe, but substituted whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour. Her recipe is for 2 crusts, so cut the ingredients in half for my tart recipe.
- http://www.marthastewart.com/336048/pate-sucree
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once you have formed the pate sucree, press the dough into a tart pan with a removable bottom, that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the tart dough in the pan, f ill with baking weights or dried beans and blind bake the crust in the preheated oven for 25-25 minutes, or until it is lightly browned and starting to pull away from the sides of the tart pan. Remove the beans and the parchment paper, and allow the crust to cool completely before filling it.
- While the cooked crust is cooking, make the panna cotta mixture. In a large saucepan, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, and sugar. Heat over medium heat while constantly whisking until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add in the vanilla extract.
- In a small bowl combine the packet of powdered gelatin with ¼ cup cold water. Allow the mixture to sit until the gelatin has softened and the liquid absorbed. Whisk this gelatin mixture into the warm milk-cream mixture. Pour the panna cotta filling into the chilled crust. Cover the tart with foil or plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until the panna cotta mixture is set.
- To make the sauce, bring the pomegranate juice, orange juice and sugar in a saucepan to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisking occasionally, cook this mixture until it is reduced down to about ¼ cup in measurement, or until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the pomegranate seeds.
- To serve, pop the tart out of the tart pan, slice and serve with a drizzle of the sauce and pomegranate seeds.
Tagged: arils, custard, dessert, heavy cream, Italian, orange juice, panna cotta, panna cotta tart, pate sucree, Pomegranate juice, pomegranate sauce, pomegranate seeds, tart, vanilla extract, whole wheat flour
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