Pannacotta is an Italian cold creamy dessert that is also popular in Japan. The texture of Pannacotta is similar to Purin (flan) or Bavarois, and usually topped with fruits or sauces. We arranged the traditional Italian dish into more Japanese using Kinako, soybean powder, and Kuromitsu, dark sugar syrup.
Pannacotta became a next big dessert boom after Tiramisu in 90s in Japan. Because of Purin which is their national dessert, this similar sweet was accepted very well by many Japanese people, and now it has become more staple western style food that is going stay. In Pannacotta, rich cream is the main ingredient and solidified with gelatin. Even though the dish is pretty rich, melt-in-the-mouth feel helps lighten it up and it is perfect dessert after dinner.
Kinako, the soy bean powder is used in a lot of traditional Japanese sweets like Warabi Mochi and any other Mochi dishes. Its relatively strong nutty flavor goes well with milder rice cakes very well. We added Kinako to the Pannacotta, but not too much to interrupt the creamy texture. Kinako often paired with Kuromitsu dark sugar sauce in Japanese dessert. So we thought why not use Kuromitsu on Kinako Pannacotta. It is very easy to make Kuromitsu sauce by using molasses, which is easily found at local supermarkets. Kuromitsu is very sweet, so adjust the amount to be poured. Kinako Pannacotta itself is not overly sweet, so we think they go together very well.
This is a great individual dessert after dinner. Serve this simple but elegant sweet dish after weekend Japanese feast, your family will be very impressed!
Kinako Pannacotta with Kuromitsu Sauce Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 Tbsp gelatin
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp Kinako roasted soybean powder
Kuromitsu Sauce
- 1 Tbsp molasses
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Put milk and gelatin in a medium pot and let bloom for 5 minutes. Add heavy cream, honey, and sugar to the pot, and heat until gelatin and sugar are dissolved. Don’t let it get too hot or boil.
- In a small bowl, mix Kinako and a small amount of the warm milk mixture until there are no lumps. Add the Kinako mixture back to the milk mixture and mix well.
- Cool the milk mixture using an ice bath, stirring constantly. When the liquid is cold and slightly thickened, pour it into 4 glasses or ramekins. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
- In a small pot, put all the ingredients for the sauce. Let boil for 3 minutes or until very slightly thickened. It will thicken further when completely cooled.
- Pour the sauce over Pannacotta before serving.
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