Creepy Coconut Kiwi Panna Cotta

I’m usually not one for gore. I hate scary movies (almost always). But if there was ever a time for a little gross-out fun it is late October. And I’m not such a scrooge that I can’t enjoy a little Halloween silliness. So why not make a good dish, while you’re at it? The elements of this dish are all natural: the white is a coconut panna cotta, the iris a cut fresh kiwi, the pupil is made of plumped raisins, and the blood is simply a raspberry coulis. The one element that is just for looks is the lens that sits on top of the kiwi iris (a little gelatin sheet). While it doesn’t really add anything to the flavor of the dish, it makes the eye look much more convincing. Plated in a different way, this dish could be a dessert for any night of the year.

Because you need the eyeball to hold it’s shape for this plating, I added a teensy bit more gelatin than I would normally put in a panna cotta. (I’d cut back by ¼ tsp. if you’re not doing the eyeball plating) To make the panna cotta have a more delicate texture for serving, you can leave it out at room temperature for a half an hour before serving. Then plate it with hot raspberry coulis and the gelatin will soften just a bit. You can make this dessert a day in advance, but decrease the gelatin quantity by 1/8 tsp, as the gelatin will continue to firm up as the dessert sits refrigerated.

This recipe, along with lots of other food-related nonsense is also posted at my blog, Kitchen Table Scraps.

Panna Cotta:
1/3 c. shredded, dried coconut (unsweetened)
¼ c. raisins or other dark-colored dried fruit.
1½  t. unflavored, powdered gelatin
1T.  rum (optional, substitute water if you prefer)
1 c. whole milk
1 c. coconut milk
¼ c. sugar
3 kiwis

Coulis:
1-2 c. frozen raspberries
sugar

Lens:
1½t. gelatin
½ c. boiling water
1T. lime juice
1T. sugar

Yield:
6 servings

Equipment:
½ c. mise en place bowls or half-sphere molds
melon baller
1½“ circle cutter

Step 1: Infuse Cream

Place coconut flakes on a baking sheet, and toast in an 350 F oven for 3-6 minutes, until lightly browned. Keep an eye on the coconut and stir it at least once mid cooking. (It cooks more quickly at the edges of the pan.) Place raisins in a jar and cover with warm water.

Infuse coconut cream

Measure gelatin into a small bowl and stir in the rum or water. Leave it to sit for a few minutes. Place the milk, coconut milk, coconut flakes and sugar in a saucepan over high heat. Stir the pan frequently as the cream is heating to prevent scorching. Watch carefully as the mixture will boil over very quickly. Once the mixture has just come to a boil, remove the pan from the heat, cover and let sit for at least 15 minutes.