Panna cotta with agar agar

Panna cotta is a dessert that's become famous and well-known throughout the world. The classic panna cotta is flavored with vanilla and is incredibly versatile because it can be decorated with a thousand different toppings, including chocolate sauces, caramel sauces, crumbles, and more 

The preparation is very simple and to make it vegan we will replace the animal gelatin with agar agar.

I made this agar-agar panna cotta because it was highly requested, as agar is now very easy to find even in traditional supermarkets. However, agar creates a fragile gelatin; it doesn't have the very pudding-like, creamy texture typical of panna cotta, so I recommend you also try this panna cotta recipe made with another vegetable gelatin.

When using small weights, in this case 3.5 g of agar it is important to use a precision scale, like this one. This is because only 1 gram can make a difference, so it is not possible to use a classic scale or weigh in "teaspoons", otherwise the panna cotta may come too hard or on the contrary not gel enough.

Procedure

Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the tip of a small knife to scrape out the seeds by sliding the blade over the bean.

In a saucepan, weigh the milk and cream, add the vanilla seeds.

In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and agar agar, pour into the saucepan and blend with an immersion blender. 

Move to the heat and bring to the boil over a low flame, stirring constantly with a whisk. 

Transfer to a jug. 

Arrange the 9 single-serving molds on a rigid tray and pour in the panna cotta.

Transfer the tray to the refrigerator and let it rest for at least 3 hours. 

Now prepare the crumble. In a bowl, weigh all the dry ingredients: rice flour, almond flour, sugar, and coconut. Mix with a spatula. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave or in a small saucepan and pour it into the bowl.

Mix with a spatula until the mixture is moist and smooth. 

Pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, and crumble coarsely. Bake in a convection oven at 185˚C for about 15 minutes. 

Allow to cool to room temperature and store in a container. 

Once the agar agar has gelled, the panna cotta can be extracted. 

It is recommended to remove it from the mold when you want to serve it, so that it does not dry out in the refrigerator.

Then arrange the panna cotta on a plate, decorate with two spoonfuls of crumble, a spoonful of pomegranate juice and a few fresh pomegranate seeds. 

Serve.