Panna cotta is one of those things that is so easy to make, that if it takes you longer than 10 minutes of preparation, then something’s seriously gone awry.  I’ve been on a panna cotta craze ever since hubby and I dined at Town the other week.  I tried whipping it up without a recipe, using fat-free, evaporated milk, a little coconut milk, and half-and-half, but the color of the evaporated milk was too brown for my liking and resembled more of a custard.

I was about to start over again using some plain yogurt, for that thick, creamy consistency, when the other night I was flipping through my 2009 Food & Wine Annual Cookbook and found this excellent recipe for Yogurt Panna Cottas with Honey. Why mess with something that was already healthy?  I liked the addition of Greek yogurt in here – it’s thick and contributes to the creaminess of the panna cotta.  The cookbook recommends serving these cute little desserts with fresh grapes strewn over the ramekin cups; however, it’s persimmon season (my favorite fruit) and instead, I decided to peel and thinly slice the persimmons over the panna cottas.

There are two types of persimmon that I’ve seen in the market.  There’s the Hachiya, which is described as being acorn or heart-shaped.  It needs to be ripened before eating, when the skin gives easily under pressure, like an overripe (like really overripe) tomato.  I don’t know, but this variety is kind of too squishy for me.  I remember when my grandma once tricked my cousin and I into eating an unripe Hachiya, bleh!  It was like my face puckered up for a day!  Hachiya persimmons contain a lot of tannins, which lend itself that astringency when unripe.  Anyways, I’m glad she had a great laugh, albeit at my expense.  Haha :) .

Instead, I eat Fuyu persimmons, which are pictured below and are more flat and round in shape.  This is the persimmon tree my parents have in their backyard (I have been known to eat about 2-3 persimmons daily when in season).  No need to wait too long before it ripens, since it’s basically good to eat once you pick it off the tree.  The fruit should feel firm, like an apple, when you choose it.  Inside it tastes sweet and crisp, like a cross between a cantaloupe/apple/pumpkin/honey flavor, if that makes any sense.  Probably not.  My friend eats them with the skin on, but I like to peel them because I think the skin is too tough.  I love these, and thank goodness they’re abundant in my grocery store here in Hawaii.  (As you can see from the pic below, I stocked up!).

Yogurt Panna Cottas with Honey

recipe by Marisa Churchill, from the 2009 Food & Wine Annual Cookbook

serves 6

1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin (I used the powder)

1 Tbsp water

1 cup fat-free milk

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt

2 Tbsp honey

Nonstick cooking spray

Optional: Sliced Fuyu persimmons, grapes, berries, etc., for serving

1. In a small bowl, mix the gelatin with the water ad let stand until softened, about 5 minutes.  In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer with the sugar and cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and add in the gelatin until dissolved.

3.  In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the yogurt.  Whisk in the warm milk until smooth.  Ladle the panna cotta mixture into six 4-oz ramekins and refrigerate, about 3 hours until set and cold.

4.  To serve, drizzle the panna cottas with honey and top with persimmon slices.

Nutrition Facts (1 serving = 1 ramekin): 117 calories, 0.4 gram fat, 22 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams protein