Use berries from your backyard to make this fresh, vegan, sugar-free dessert.
When mulberry season is in full swing, you can only eat so many straight from the bush…so what to do with the remaining eleventy-hundred? Here’s a fresh idea for a low-calorie dessert that showcases this wonderful local fruit.
Now if you don’t have mulberries available, never fear- you can substitute any berry you like. The coconut can be tinned, fresh, or dried. I used dried coconut chunks from the supermarket and added coconut water purchased separately. If you have fresh or tinned coconut then use the encased liquid: you won’t need to buy the coconut water as well.
This fabulous little dessert is ideal for guests or dinner parties. It can be made up to 4 days in advance, and with no added sugar or dairy, is pretty much guilt-free.
Here’s how I made it.
I started by blending the coconut with 1 cup of coconut water in the food processor until a smooth texture developed.
Decant the blended mixture into a large bowl. Simmer the agar agar & a second cup of coconut water over low heat. If you’re not vegan, you can use gelatine instead.
Add to the coconut puree & combine well. Pour 2/3 of the coconut mixture into your cups/bowls and refrigerate until partly set.
Take the stems out of the mulberries then blend them with the lemon juice & remaining coconut puree.
Spoon a layer of this mixture on top of the partly-set coconut puree. Decorate with the reserved mulberries & edible flowers just before serving.
Coconut & Mulberry Vegan Panna Cotta
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 250 grams coconut
- 2 cups coconut water
- 1/2 tsp agar agar powder
- 250 grams fresh mulberries or other berries of your choice
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- edible flowers optional garnish
Instructions
- Blend coconut & 1 cup of coconut water in the food processor until they form a puree. Decant into a mixing bowl.
- Combine 1 cup of coconut water & the agar agar in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring, over low-to-medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring continually. Do not boil.
- Add the agar agar mixture to the coconut puree and mix thoroughly.
- Pour 2/3 of the coconut puree evenly into four 1-cup serving dishes.
- Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until partly set.
- Reserve a few mulberries to use as a garnish.
- Remove stems from mulberries.
- Blend mulberries in the food processor with the remaining coconut puree and the lemon juice. Blend until as smooth as possible.
- Carefully pour over set coconut mixture, then refrigerate for 4 hours or until fully set.
- Served topped with reserved mulberries & edible flowers, if you like.
