The multicolored layers of almond pannacotta are the basis of this delightful dessert from Chef Kwame Onwuachi’s restaurant, Tatiana of Kwame Onwuachi, located in New York City. Kwame Onwuachi decorates the creamy pannacotta with a thin layer of jam made from apricots and raspberries, sprinkled with dukkah-spiced and sugar-coated almonds, and a sprinkling of chopped chocolate. The final dessert emits the aroma of berries, the cream of toasty nuts, and sweet, earthy chocolate. It also provides an appealing contrast in texture between the almonds’ crunchy crunch and the soft custard.
The notes of The Food & Wine Test Kitchen
Dukka is a spice blend of seeds, nuts, and earthy and spicy spices. It is available on The Spice Way. Serve dukka almonds left over on salads, grain bowls, or sprinkled on ice cream.
A suggested pairing
“With the instant aroma of berries and cream followed by some toastiness and spice, there are so many points that connect this Rainbow Panna Cotta with McBride Sisters Collection Sparkling Brut Rose,” Onwuachi says. A brut rose originating from Hawke’s Bay, a coastal region in the northern part of the island located in New Zealand, the wine explodes with juicy notes of peach, berry, and cranberry. The acidity and bubbles also refresh your palate in between the creamy almond panna cotta bites. “The shaved bittersweet chocolate and red berries in the jam will match any sparkling rose, but with its spice and the time it spends on the lees, the wine’s connection is reinforced to the dukka and almond throughout.”
Ingredients
Almond Panna Cotta
- 3 3/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
- 1 1/2 cups cold whole milk, divided
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- One tablespoon of vanilla bean paste
- One teaspoon of almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Red, yellow, and green food coloring gel
Dukka Almonds
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- One teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup whole raw almonds
- One tablespoon dukkah spice blend (such as The Spice Way)
Additional Ingredients
- 1/3 cup apricot jam or strained apricot preserves
- 1/3 cup raspberry jam
- Sea salt that is flaky to taste
- 1 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate bar, finely grated
Directions
Bake the almond panna cotta.
- Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup of cold milk in a small bowl. Allow to stand for 10 minutes so that gelatin has time to expand. (It will begin to hydrate and soften.) While heating heavy cream vanilla bean paste, sugar, almond extract, salt, and the remaining 1 cup of milk into a small saucepan on medium heat until it reaches 130degF between 4 and 7 minutes, stirring frequently until sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat.
- Whisk the gelatin mixture in the warm cream until it dissolves, between 1 and 2 minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine wire mesh strainer into a large heatproof bowl. Divide the cream mixture equally between three measuring cups with spills. Add yellow, red, and green gels for food coloring in every measuring cup till the combinations achieve the desired shades of light pink, yellow, and green. Stir well.
- Pour 3 1/2 tablespoons pink panna-cotta base into eight (6-ounce) glasses. Cover and freeze until pannacotta is firm, approximately 30 minutes. Repeat the process with the pannacotta base in yellow, followed by a green panna cotta base, chilling for 30 minutes after each added layer. After all layers have been set, cover the glasses with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or as long as three days.
Use the Dukka Almonds
- Add 1 cup of water with cinnamon and sugar in a tiny pot and boil on medium. Stir frequently until the sugar melts. Add dukka spice mix and almonds. Cook, stirring continuously, until the water has reduced and the almonds develop an emulsion of sugar, 4 or 5 minutes. Place the almonds on a baking sheet lined with parchment and spread them into one layer. Allow to cool completely, approximately 20 minutes. Chop almonds roughly and set aside.
- Mix the apricot and raspberry jams in the bowl of a small. Transfer the mixture into an airtight bag. Cut small holes in the corner and pipe thin layers (about one teaspoon) of jam on the top of each panna cotta. Sprinkle each with two tablespoons of dukka nuts. (Reserve any almonds left over to use later.) Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and grate chocolate. Serve immediately.
