Mango season calls for mango desserts and the showstopper dessert of this season is mango panna cotta!
I love summer only for one reason and that is nothing but mango! I get addicted to mangoes every summer and then slide into a temporary depression when the season ends – this is the story of my life every season since my childhood!
You must have seen my tribute to this king of fruit in my previous post – 20 Must Try Mango Recipes From Your Favorite Food Blogs for This Summer Season! Inspired by so many amazing bloggers, I tried my hands on making mango panna cotta and I can’t be thankful enough!
I had made strawberry panna cotta (and you can check out my recipe here) which was equally satisfying and hence trying the delectable panna cotta with my favorite mango became a must!
The mango panna cotta is my showstopper recipe this season and I can guarantee you will fall in love with it as much as we all did. The rich & creamy panna cotta topped with luscious mango compote can only be a match made in heaven!
If you haven’t tried or tasted mango panna cotta till now, you must do this season! I insist! You will thank me for this later. If the name gives you an impression that it’s tough to make, trust me it’s not!
It’s just a matter of cooking cream and mango puree separately and then assembling the two elements. The magic happens in the refrigerator while it’s chilling.
What is panna cotta?
Panna cotta is an Italian dessert purely made of cream. Panna Cotta literally means ‘cooked cream‘. Panna cotta is usually served chilled with fresh fruits or a fruit sauce or any kind of berries. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries are the traditional choice to pair up with panna cotta.
Panna cotta is not a pudding; it has a soft melt-in-mouth texture. Savoring a panna cotta is a royal experience in itself. The sweet, smooth and rich creamy layer with a hint of vanilla melts in your mouth, making you oblivion of your surroundings! Trust me, this dessert is that magical!
What is mango panna cotta?
Mango panna cotta is an upgraded version of regular panna cotta if I may say so! It is your regular panna cotta topped with mango compote made of fresh mangoes. Compote is nothing but a fruit preserved or cooked in syrup; so mango compote essentially means mango pulp cooked with sugar.
Once you set the cream with gelatin or agar agar which are nothing but setting agents, you simply pour the mango compote on top of creamy panna cotta and let the mango panna cotta set up completely in refrigerator. And your mango panna cotta is ready!
Agar agar is the vegetarian version of gelatin. Many of my readers do not prefer gelatin which is why I have used agar agar which worked beautifully and had set my mango panna cotta ten on ten!
How to serve mango panna cotta?
Panna cotta is served as a cold dessert topped with any sweet fruit of your choice. You can simply set your mango panna cotta in small glasses similar to the one you see in the pictures but instead of creating the diagonal design, you can set them on top of one another horizontally. That would be aesthetically pleasing as well!
The diagonal design of mango panna cotta you see here is visually pleasing, which is why I decided to make these in the first place, but it is definitely not mandatory to serve it cotta this way, especially if you think it’s too much effort.
Top the mango panna cotta with a few freshly chopped mango pieces while serving, You can also garnish with fresh mint leaves for a pop of green color and a small fresh cheery for that hint of red if you are hosting guests and want to wow them!
Ingredients for mango panna cotta
To make a beautiful mango panna cotta, you will need 4 ingredients. Let’s talk about each one by one.
Mango: The star of this recipe is of course mango. You can actually use any type of ripe mango if it is sweet. Only suggestion I would give is to choose the one which has the least amount of fiber.
My favorite choice of mango for panna cotta would be Alphonso or Kesar. In case you are not sure if your mangoes are fibrous or not, blend it longer to ensure your mango puree is smooth and without any lumps or fiber.
Cream: For the white creamy layer, you need full fat cream. You can use double cream or whipping cream. The richer your cream is, the more delectable your panna cotta will turn out.
I have earlier used half cream and half milk which you can opt in too, but today’s mango panna cotta is made with all cream.
Agar agar: You will need a setting agent for making panna cotta. You can use gelatin leaves which I had used for making my strawberry panna cotta; you may refer to that recipe to know how to use gelatin leaves.
Today I have used a vegetarian version of gelatin which is called agar agar and is easily available in India. It had set both the panna cotta and mango compote beautifully.
Sugar: You will need regular granulated sugar to sweeten both the creamy layer and mango compote. My mangoes were not overly sweet, so I had to add a good amount of sugar.
I strongly recommend tasting both the elements after adding sugar to check for sweetness and adjust accordingly. Once you pour the cream mixture into molds, you can’t do anything other than starting from scratch which of course you wouldn’t want.
Molds of your choice: Be creative in the way you serve your mango panna cotta! You don’t necessarily need to do this diagonal design. You can create horizontal layers of cream and mango in a single serving glass.
You may also use a round mold and set the mango layer first, then pour the creamy layer. Once completely set, de-mold it upside down bringing the mango layer on top. Garnish with fresh cut mangoes and mint leaves.
How to make mango panna cotta?
Making panna cotta does not involve any hard work. You just need to make two elements separately and then assemble the two. Since I planned to make the diagonal design with the mango layer on top, I started with the cream layer first.
Step 1: The very first step is to create the agar agar mixture. The best way to decide the liquid to agar agar ratio is to follow your packet instructions. The brand I was using had a clear instruction of using 2 teaspoons of agar agar for 500 ml of milk or milk based preparation.
So dissolve about 3 teaspoons of agar agar in 6 teaspoons of water to be used for 750 ml of cream in a small bowl. Set it aside.
Step 2: In a saucepan, pour all the cream and place on low heat. Start warming up the cream until it starts to show some bubbles. Do not boil the cream.
Step 3: Add sugar and stir to dissolve it completely. Let the cream come to a light simmer again.
Step 4: Add the agar agar and water mixture to the cream and stir thoroughly so that agar agar dissolves completely without leaving any lumps.
Step 5: Switch off the flame and pour the cream mixture into 4 single serving glasses or bowls. Let them cool down a bit; then refrigerate them for at least an hour and half so that the creamy panna cotta layer sets completely before pouring the mango compote.
Step 6: Next to make the mango compote, first you need to get mango puree. Peel the mangoes and take out the flesh in a blender jar. You will need about 750 grams of mango cubes which is about 3 medium or 2 large mangoes.
Step 7: Blend the mangoes until completely smooth and there is no lump whatsoever.
Step 8: Again dissolve about 3 teaspoons of agar agar in 6 teaspoons of water in a small bowl. Set it aside.
Step 9: Transfer mango puree to a clean saucepan (means first wash the one you used to cook the cream) and add sugar to it. The correct amount of sugar will depend on the sweetness of your mangoes; but roughly you will need anywhere between 3/4th to 1 cup of sugar.
Step 10: Place the saucepan with mango puree over low heat and start cooking it until the sugar dissolves and the puree starts to simmer lightly. Do not boil the puree.
Step 11: Add the agar agar & water mixture and thoroughly stir the puree making sure the agar agar is completely mixed in without any lumps.
Step 12: Switch off the flame and let it cool. Keep stirring occasionally so that it does not set and still retain the pouring consistency.
Step 13: Once the creamy panna cotta layer is completely set without any wobbliness and mango compote is also cooled, its time to pour the mango layer on top of creamy layer.
Pro tip: Be careful while pouring; if the mango layer is still too hot, it will melt the cream and get mixed together and you will not end up with sharp borders of 2 layers.
Step 14: Once all 4 serving glasses are filled, return them back to the refrigerator and let them chill for at least 4 hours to completely set.
Step 15: Now it’s time to serve! Serve the chilled mango panna cotta topped with freshly chopped mango pieces. You may garnish with fresh mint leaves if serving guests and finally enjoy all your hard work!
Can’t get enough of mangoes? Try other mango recipes given below!
Other must-try summer recipes
- Mango - 2 to 3, medium (to get 750 grams of mango cubes)
- Double/whipping cream - 500 ml
- Sugar - 1& ½ cups
- Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
- Agar Agar - 2 tsp for panna cotta + 2 tsp for mango compote
- Dissolve about 2 teaspoons of agar agar in 6 teaspoons of water in a small bowl. Set it aside.
- In a saucepan, pour all the cream and place on low heat. Start warming up the cream until it starts to show some bubbles. Do not boil the cream.
- Add half of the sugar (i.e. ¾th cup) and stir to dissolve it completely. Let the cream come to a light simmer again.
- Add the agar agar and water mixture to the cream and stir thoroughly so that agar agar dissolves completely without leaving any lumps.
- Switch off the flame and pour the cream mixture into 4 single serving glasses or bowls. Let them cool down a bit; then refrigerate them for at least an hour and half so that the creamy panna cotta layer sets completely before pouring the mango compote.
- Next, to make the mango compote, first you need to get mango puree. Peel the mangoes and take out the flesh in a blender jar. Blend the mangoes until completely smooth and there is no lump whatsoever.
- Again dissolve about 2 teaspoons of agar agar in 6 teaspoons of water in a small bowl. Set it aside.
- Transfer mango puree to a clean saucepan and add remaining sugar to it. Feel free to adjust the sugar depending on the sweetness of the mangoes you are using.
- Place the saucepan with mango puree over low heat and start cooking it until the sugar dissolves and the puree starts to simmer lightly. Do not boil the puree.
- Add the agar agar & water mixture and thoroughly stir the puree making sure agar agar is completely mixed in without any lumps.
- Switch off the flame and let it cool. Keep stirring occasionally so that it does not set and retains the pouring consistency.
- Once the creamy panna cotta layer is completely set without any wobbliness and the mango compote is also cooled, carefully pour the mango layer on top of the creamy layer.
- Once all 4 serving glasses are filled, return them back to the refrigerator and let them chill for at least 4 hours to completely set.
- Serve the chilled mango panna cotta topped with freshly chopped mango pieces. You may garnish with fresh mint leaves if serving guests and finally enjoy all your hard work!
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