Of the countless holiday desserts I’ve created this juniper infused, dark chocolate & sea salt panna cotta topped with candied Meyer lemon rind & Irish sea salt might be my favorite. Made with a Lindt EXCELLENCE Sea Salt bar, it’s ultra creamy, luxurious, complex, and not only is it exceedingly simple and quick to make, it can be made the day before. I don’t think it gets better; this tastes like it takes far more effort than it does. The juniper comes through in the perfect amount, slightly louder than a whisper but not too much more. The crunch of sea salt and the chew of sugared lemon add the perfect textural contrast. Meyer lemon, sea salt, chocolate, and juniper have proven in this instance to be such a stellar combination I can’t wait to explore it in all different iterations, though this one might be hard to top.
I have varying levels of confidence in the things I do professionally, but writing recipes has never been a difficult one. Writing blog posts & styling shoots are both far more difficult. They require some sort of inspiration. In short, I have to be in the mood. With cooking, it isn’t that way. Flavors and combinations are always swirling in my head. It comes to me intuitively, by absorbing the all that is culinary like a sponge and seeing the world through the lens of my cravings. Photography is much the same; I just see light. Writing and styling, they just aren’t like that. They can feel like pulling teeth especially if I’m tired, rushed, overwhelmed, or distracted.
All of that to say, it’s the holidays. Rushed, overwhelmed, distracted. Yes, all of the above. And that’s why creating this recipe was such a thrill. It’s everything I could possibly want to give you in a holiday dessert recipe. It takes a few minutes to whip up, easily done the day before and then popped in the fridge to set. If you make it the day of your party, just make sure you start about 4 hours before you intend to serve it thought keep in mind for 3 1/2 of those hours it’s just sitting there. It’s really about 15-20 minutes of hands on absolute max. This recipe is my Christmas present to all of you who do and have supported & frequent this blog. I hope you get the chance to enjoy it this holiday season! Oh! And if you can’t find juniper berries, you can easily order them online. That’s what I did.
It’s just a simple dessert, but creating it gave me that rare satisfaction, one of those rare moments where you can look at, taste, experience something you created and not only not hate it but love it. I think so many of us creative sorts are our own worst critics; not hating what I’ve done in a day is a good day in my book. It’s very, very rare that I’m proud of something. And while I think it would do me good to give myself a bit more credit, a pat on the back here or there, another part of me believes it’s the perpetual dissatisfaction that spurs me forever forward, always trying and growing. Never resting on past successes. But, for one moment, I was able to rest in a feeling of accomplishment, savoring a spoonful of this in my kitchen. I can’t wait until I have some guests to serve it to. Maybe it will make an appearance on a menu at our Venice retreat…I’m thinking it must. I’ll have to pack some Lindt & Juniper berries!
ps. A little reminder that you can find tickets to my culinary + photography expedition in Southeast Asia here, and that there’s one last ticket to the herbalism workshop + gathering here! Happy holidays!
This is my ideal holiday dessert. Rich, complex, and interesting. And so incredibly quick & easy. Perfect for a busy season that demands something special. I use this method to candy my lemons but I remove the pith also and curl them after they've dried partially to make twists.
Ingredients
- 3 cups heavy cream, divided
- 1 packet powdered gelatin (2tsp)
- 200 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon juniper berries, lightly crushed in mortar & pestle
- 1/2 teaspoon course sea salt, plus extra for garnish
- 1 Lindt EXCELLENCE Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Bar, finely chopped
- candied meyer lemon (or regular lemon) peel (optional for garnish)
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of the heavy cream in to a medium sauce pan and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface & let bloom for 5 minutes.
- Place the pot on the stove over med-low heat and cook, stirring until gelatin is just dissolved.
- Add the rest of the heavy cream, juniper berries, salt, and sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar and cook, continuing to stir occasionally until it's just about to boil and a few bubbles start to form on the sides.
- Remove from heat, and whisk in the chocolate until completely melted and combined.
- Cover and let it steep for 30 minutes. Let it go a bit longer for a stronger juniper flavor, but not too long or it might start to set up a bit too much to strain.
- After steeping, strain into a 4 cup measure for easy pouring into your vessel of choice. Brush whatever you'll be serving it out of very lightly with olive oil or a neutral oil.
- Chill for at least three house and up to a day (if chilling a day cover with plastic wrap). If you wish to unmold them, briefly submerge them in hot water and carefully turn out onto a plate. Garnish with sea salt, a bit of shaved chocolate, and candied lemon.
- This recipe yields about 24 ounces of panna cotta, so it would make 6 4 oz. panna cotta, but how you divide it up and into what it totally up to you. I love little copper molds. It's so rich that a little goes a long way, and I like to serve it with some sort of crunchy cookie on the table. If you want to be really fancy, you could team it up with a glass of bubbly for the holiday season!
Well, you do make styling shoots look effortless, so I’m a bit surprised there. Your images are some of my favourites, definitely my favourite in the food blogging industry, though honestly some of my favourites of all time. Love them.
And these look absolutely delicious!
well now these look divine! <3
so interesting to hear that styling doesn't come as effortlessly to you as you appear to make it. you're one of my biggest inspirations for food styling and photography, and even though I love styling, I've found it really tough to keep getting better/where I actually want to be.
p.s. I've been loving your snapchats too!
I’m new to your blog, but I’m glad I found you. Your food sounds delicious, your pictures are beautiful and your writing is so descriptive and lovely. I can’t wait to try some of your recipes. Thank you for sharing a part of your world with us!
I can’t decide what I like more, the elegant writing or todays delectable dessert ~ what stunning presentation here! LOVE LOVE LOVE. I’ll feel so ladylike and dainty munching on this. Thanks =) And I don’t feel so ladylike in my leggins and with 2 kids sick all night. Bleh.
Oh wow, what a treat! This panna cotta looks just so good.
Have a wonderful day, Franzi
Looks just what I need now!
But…. Is it possible to use agar agar instead of the gelatin?
And also, I can not get the juniper where I live… Can I make it without or replace them with other berries?
Thank you!
Unfortunately, without testing it, I can’t tell you whether agar agar would work instead, but if you search it on google I bet you’ll find some answers! And while I wouldn’t replace juniper with berries you could replace it with a different herb. A food safe variety of pine would be awesome. Or you could go more holiday spice oriented and try star anise. You can infuse it with whatever sounds good to you! But it will definitely be a different recipe with agar agar + a different flavoring…but it might be great!
Aha I couldn’t help relating with the styling and writing part: I also have to be pretty much in the mood, pretty much in a specific head zone. Sometimes it comes easy, sometimes even before I start cooking or have my hubby start cooking, I already know what I want to do with the results of said cooking, styling and writing wise, when it comes to a blog post, but other days… it’s like giving birth!! It’s labour pains in all their glory. I also saw myself sooooo much in that last paragraph. Dunno if I can call myself a creative, maybe I can in the sense that I need to be creating something all the time, and I have no past successes to rest myself upon, but I am my worst critic, and I even find myself looking at something I did and feeling like wow, I nailed it, it’s pretty good, I’m proud of myself, to then come back to said work five minutes later and realize it’s the worst piece of s… I have ever seen/ made/ read / created… And that is what pushes me into trying, again and again, into keep going at it, though somedays I just want to quite the whole thing!!!
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Sounds like the perfect holiday dessert recipe. And looks so delicious ♥
summerdaisy.net
Hi Beth! Just a random observation, but your pictures have become much prettier nowadays (not that they weren’t before). Now, they’re bright and full of happiness, content(?), they used to be darker before. Glad to see you doing so well! All the best!
You always have the most interesting flavor combinations. I am anxiously awaiting you cookbook 😀 Love the little copper molds.
These are lovely! Plus I’m DYING over the little copper pans. Absolutely stunning.
Hey Beth, you’ve outdone yourself on this one 🙂
That copper shine in every of your wonderful photos is just SO amazing. And the flavors of the panna cotta are very special and unique. What a great recipe!
I love the flavor combination you used in this panna cotta, and it looks absolutely incredible!
We walked in our woods today and found junipers loaded with berries. I think now I wil have to go bak out there and get some!
Lovely — how many ounces is the chocolate bar?
3.5!
I’m subbing in regular ole dark chocolate from my pantry and making this for baby’s first Christmas dinner. Thanks for the awesome recipe as always. I love knowing that if you wrote the instructions, and I just follow along, I can feel sure everything will just *work*.
I’m so excited to make this! I lived in Tuscany and I’ve never had panna cotta made this way. The photos are beautiful, too, as always. Thanks for sharing.
Do you have tips on how to strain the mixture? Never strained a chocolate mixture before and not sure what I should use for it.
Just use a fine mesh strainer and you’ll be fine! No pun intended… : )