A DIFFERENT PANNA COTTA

Guys, today I am not so much in the mood for writing so I will keep it short and let the pictures speak for themselves.

I am introducing today a different kind of panna cotta. It's not your classic panna cotta served with a raspberry or chocolate coulis. It's a panna cotta that, I feel, represents a lot of who I am and the things I love. First off, you can clearly see my love for Italy in here as panna cotta is obviously an Italian dessert. Secondly, you can see parts of my Middle Eastern & Greek origins with the use of cardamom and mastika (of which I left for you a series of photos, as it turns out that mastika is a very fun item to photograph!). Cardamom and mastika are traditionally used in Middle Eastern desserts, either seperately or both together. I prefer using them both together :-) And lastly, third of all, the use of persimmon represents my spontaneous almost impulsive approach in cuisine as it ended up being a last minute addition to the recipe. It turns out that persimmom, out of all the fruits in this world, tastes wonderful with the milky creaminess of a panna cotta. We just happened to have persimmons lying around in the kitchen, and the minute I set my eyes on them I knew that I had to include them! Voila, that is how my reasoning often works in the kitchen you see :-)

Recipe:

Use your usual "plain" panna cotta recipe, but when boiling the liquids, add in cardamom and mastika (you can usually get this at Greek, Turkish or Middle Eastern food shops). Top off with persimmon slices and a persimmon coulis. Enjoy!

P.S: Mastika can come in two forms: a creamy paste (like the in the pictures above) or in the form of "crystal" grains.