Sugar Plum Panna Cotta

Trader Joe’s, oh how I love you. You always have just what I need and you always surprise me with new things I didn’t even know I needed but that make my day.

The thing about TJ is that he has mysterious ways. Sometimes he brings something into my life only to snatch it away weeks or months or years later. It can be devastating and it happens without warning. This leads me to be a bit of a hoarder when it comes to Trader Joe’s. When special edition yellow cherry tomatoes showed up, I gobbled up a package a day because within a week they were gone and they never came back.

Last week I found a tiny stash of fresh, baby sugarplums and I bought two boxes. I brought them home and fawned over them but I had no idea what to make with them. I have been making so much ice cream lately that I wanted to steer clear of that but I knew I wanted something creamy and tangy. An idea came to me in a flash: Panna Cotta! No baking required, minimal prep, a perfect vehicle for the delicate plum flavor! I envisioned a stunning lavender or pale pink final product but I ended up with something more in the…taupe range. Still, it tasted like perfection.

I could not find a single recipe for plum panna cotta so I adapted a recipe for strawberry panna cotta and changed a few things. If I made this again, I would use more gelatin. I used 1 1/2 tsp in the recipe I made which turned out a pretty creamy, soft panna cotta that didn’t have much bite. I increased the gelatin called for in the recipe below.

If you find yourself in receipt of a bunch of pretty plums or if you have a well stocked Trader Joe’s near you, why not try this elegant and simple dessert?

Ingredients:

- 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder

- 3 tablespoons cold water

- 1 1/2 cups sugar plum puree (about 16 small, ripe plums)

- 1 cup heavy cream

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

- 1 cup buttermilk
Pit all the plums and puree them in the food processor for about 5-10 minutes.

You want it to be as pureed as it can possibly get.

Sprinkle gelatin over the cold water in a small bowl and let absorb for a few minutes.

Pour the puree through a fine mesh sieve to remove the thick bits of skin. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Place the cream and sugar in an empty saucepan over medium heat, stir occasionally until it just begins to simmer.

Heat the gelatin mixture for about 15 seconds in the microwave to liquify it. When the cream has come to a simmer, whisk in the gelatin and vanilla until the mixture is smooth.
Pour the cream mixture into a metal bowl set over an ice bath.

Whisk gently until cool to the touch. Whisk in the buttermilk and the chilled plum puree.

Pour into ramekins and chill until set, at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

When the panna cotta is set, unmold by running a thin knife dipped in hot water around the edge of the panna cotta and invert onto a plate.

Garnish with fresh plum slices.