Desserts Eat

Cardamom Panna Cotta with Port Gelée and Figs

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cardamom panna cotta with port wine gelee sprinkled with cardamom and served with honey roasted figs on a white plate, a second plate in the background. all on a black surface. Sugar with Spice Blog.
Cardamom Panna Cotta with Honey Roasted Figs

To me, Panna Cotta is very much a summer dish, full of light cream and covered in berries.

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For more detailed instructions on the finer points of making panna cotta check out my Basic Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta Recipe.

But after weeks of rich heavy dinners and massive Christmas puddings and pies, something a little lighter and fresher is in order!

I decided to try making one with traditional winter spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. The result? A wonderfully light and airy dessert, but full of winter flavors to match the season! Looking for more seasonal desserts? Try one of these!

Making cardamom panna cotta, cream, milk, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon stirred slowly in a pan.

Remember that panna cotta is rich, so make sure portions are small, especially after a huge feast.

I had extra port in the fridge, so I decided to make it even more festive by adding a lovely gelée on top. But this step is totally optional. You can also change out the port for red wine or strictly balsamic vinegar, though you’ll want to add more sugar with both of those options.

Another great option for using port in desserts are these port-poached pears stuffed with caramels and wrapped in puff pastry!

What is a Gelée?

Port Wine gelee in the bottom of a ceramic ramekin surrounded by ramekins with cardamom panna cotta on a marble counter

A gelée is simply a jelly food. Of course, it sounds much fancier since it’s a French word. But in reality a gelée is a dish thickened by gelatin.

Most gelées tend to be a little less thick and solid than Jell-O. Jams and fruit jellys differ slightly too in that they are thickened with pectin rather than gelatin. Which is why they are even less solid and more gloopy.

Gelées can be either savory (wines, herbs, jus) or sweet (fruit, champagne, syrup, dessert wines). And they can be flavored in almost any way you choose.

Looking for other winter desserts? Try this wintry rustic Persimmon and Ginger Galette with a spiced crust! It’s a bit heartier but still so elegant!

Print
Cardamom Panna Cotta with Port and Balsamic Geleé and Honey Broiled Figs
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Rest Time
4 hrs
 
Keyword: Dessert, Panna Cotta
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
Panna Cotta
  • 2 1/4 cups Heavy Cream
  • 3/4 cups Whole Milk
  • 1 tbsp Gelatin unflavored
  • 3 tbsp Cold Water
  • 1/3 cup Caster Sugar
  • 6 Cardamom Seeds split
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick halved
  • 3 Whole Cloves
  • 1 Whole Allspice Berry
Port Geleé
  • 3/4 cup Ruby Port
  • 1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Caster Sugar
  • 2 tbsp Fresh Lime Juice (or lemon if preferred)
  • 1 tsp Gelatin unflavored
  • 1 tbsp Cold Water
Figs
  • 6 Figs halved
  • 3 tbsp Honey
  • Ground Cardamom for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Geleé

  1. Oil the inside 6 small 6 oz. ramekins with a thin layer.

  2. Sprinkle the gelatin over cold water. Allow to rest while everything else cooks.

  3. Add the port, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is reduced by half.

  4. Remove from the heat and add in the bloomed (softened) gelatin. Stir until dissolved.

  5. Pour through a strainer into serving ramekins. Place in the fridge to set.

Panna Cotta

  1. Place the cold water in a small dish. Sprinkle the gelatin on top and stir. Allow to sit for 5 minutes at least to soften and absorb the water.

  2. While the gelatin softens, combine the heavy cream, milk, caster sugar, and spices into a sauce pan.* Turn the heat on medium-low and stir continuously. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.**

  3. Add in the gelatin and remove from the heat. Stir until all the gelatin is dissolved. Test this on the back of a spoon dipped in your cream.***

  4. Place your saucepan in an ice bath and stir slowly until it reaches room temperature and starts to thicken. Remove the saucepan from the ice bath and pour through a strainer into the ramekins on top of the geleé.

  5. Place in the fridge to set at least 4 hours or overnight. (Test it in the morning!)

Figs

  1. 10 minutes before serving, slice the figs and place in an oven safe dish. Drizzle with honey. Place under a high broiler for 5 minutes until the honey is caramelized. Remove from the oven and let cool.

To Serve

  1. Remove the panna cotta ramekins from the fridge. Soak the base of each in a hot water bath. Run a thin knife around the edges of all the panna cotta. Place serving dish over the base of the ramekin and shake until the panna cotta falls out.

  2. Garnish with broiled figs, sprinkled cardamom and serve with a glass of ruby port!

Recipe Notes

*To make the spice flavors stronger, open each cardamom pod and empty the small seeds into the mixture. Toss the empty pod shells in as well.

**The cream is hot enough when you can safely place your finger in the mixture, but it feels just slightly too hot.

***If there are still granules on the spoon, keep stirring. You can always put it back on the heat briefly for a minute or two if necessary!

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