Refreshing Honeydew Panna Cotta Recipe

Ryan Thomas is a university graduate who enjoys cooking recipes from a wide variety of culinary traditions.

It has been a long time since I made panna cotta, but I still remember how wonderfully creamy, refreshing, and delightfully elegant they are. So when I was trying to think of new dessert recipes to make, my mind went back to panna cotta—but why not try something new?

My mother loves honeydew melon, so I thought about trying a honeydew panna cotta. It seemed like it would be a perfect pairing: elegant, light, fruity, and simple.

And it was! Honeydew worked exceptionally well for panna cotta because the panna cotta's mellow flavor allows the melon to shine through. The overall texture is very light, making it wonderfully refreshing. It is a great palette cleanser after a rich meal, and it would be splendid on a hot summer evening.

I'd suggest serving it with garnished fruit, powdered sugar, or whipped cream. I needed to use up some blueberries, so we put them on top and really enjoyed their addition to the recipe. It also makes it look beautiful, with the little dashes of blue against the light green of the panna cotta and the porcelain white of the ramekins.

This recipe is entirely my own.

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Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 honeydew melon, rind removed
• 1 package gelatin
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Cut the honeydew melon in half and scoop out the seeds at the center. Cut the melon again so that you have about a third or so of the melon. Cut this into slices, and slice off the rind. Cut the remaining flesh into cubes and purée it in a blender.
2. In a small bowl, combine the milk and gelatin. Allow the gelatin to thicken the milk.
3. In a medium saucepan, pour in the cream, sugar, and honeydew purée. Heat over medium heat until it begins to boil, stirring. Pour in the gelatin-milk mixture, boil for another 1-2 minutes, again stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Pour in the vanilla extract and mix.
4. Pour into six ramekins, and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover and then place into the refrigerator. Cool for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).
5. Serve plain or garnished with whipped cream, powdered sugar, and/or fruit on top.