Coconut milk pana cotta with a salted caramel sauce
Serves 6 persons (6 small glasses)
For the pana cotta
200 ml double cream
1 vanilla pod (cut and opened)
150 ml coconut milk (preferably the light version)
30 g caster sugar
3 gelatine leaves
For the caramel sauce
40 g caster sugar
30 g salted butter (with the salt grains)
2 tbsp single cream
1 – Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water until soft. Boil the cream with the vanilla pod and the sugar. Let infuse and cool down for 10 min. Take the vanilla pod out.
2 – Squeeze the gelatine leaves and add to the warm cream (it must be warm but not boiling). Stir until the gelatine has completely melted. Then add the coconut milk.
3 – Divide into 6 small glasses or cups. Let set in the fridge for 5 hours at least.
4 – In a small pan, make a caramel with the sugar and a little water. When the caramel takes a nice brown colour, add the butter, stir to melt it then add the single cream. You get a thick sauce. Top the pana cotta with the sauce. You may choose to serve the sweet immediately or prefer to put it back in the fridge to serve cold.
Optional
Serve with a ginger biscuit (which gives a crunchy texture and add a spicy note)
The pairing
The “bridge” with the peated whisky is the salted butter. It makes it smokier whereas the creamy pana cotta balances the dryness. The vanilla and the coconut milk hint to the bourbon cask maturation. The pana cotta has the minimum sugar as the caramel sauce brings more sweet flavours. The important is to enable the delicate profile of the whisky be fully expressed.
The vanilla can be replaced by a tsp of grated lime.
A ginger biscuit will bring a contrast in textures which makes the whisky stand out.