Updated November 11, 2019
This persimmon panna cotta dessert is fun to make and will surprise your guests. Persimmon panna cotta dessert with fruity orange color and a hint of rum – this combination of flavor will make your day!
You definitely need to try this panna cotta recipe with persimmon!
So easy and so interesting-looking, it will make your guests ask how you made it! This panna cotta is one of the best easy persimmon recipes to try.
So I wanted to make something with persimmons that are in season October to February. And also my favorite color is orange!
Panna cottas are easy desserts! They are made with heavy cream (or whipping cream) and fruits, that require no baking. Just let them set in the fridge and serve. Moreover this is a gluten free dessert that is also vegetarian, because to let it set I used agar agar instead of gelatin.
If you are more familiar with gelatin and have no vegetarian guests, you can also use it instead.
You will surprise your guests with this combination of flavor and fruity orange color!
Types of Orange Persimmons
There are few types of persimmon available in the market, most popular are Fuyu, Hachiya and Sharon.
Hachiya is the most astringent, with soft and orange flesh. Sharon is the most sweet and mild of all three. Fuyu persimmons are more widely accessible in the market than Sharon, it can be eaten firm and has less tannins, so less astringent – perfect for this dessert.
However I wanted to pair creamy sweet panna cotta with a fruity, light astringent. There are persimmons that are overly astringent, but this one was sweeter to taste, so I decided to go with it. The added rum essence will wipe off the astringent, leaving pleasant aftertaste, and you will want to spoon some more!
Tip. Use ripes persimmon, such as Fuyu. Taste your persimmon – if it has very astringent taste, leave it in warm water (about 104 F / 40 C) for a day or two. It will also help to ripen the fruit.
Benefits of Orange Persimmon
By the way, this recipe doesn’t include any cooking of persimmon, so you will consume all the benefits of this fruit in a dessert! Easy dessert with health benefits? Why not!
So, for example, here are some of the benefits of persimmon:
• These fruits are good source of vitamin A (55 % of Recommended Daily Intake in one fruit),which is good for skin, eye health, immune and red blood cell production. You can find more information here
• Manganese (30 % of R.D.I. in one fruit), which plays important role in our bone health, metabolism and wound healing.
• Vitamin C (22 % of R.D.I. in one fruit), which lowers inflammation, combined with powerful antioxidants, is good for your heart health
• Persimmons have also smaller amount of vitamins E, K, B-group vitamins, Potassium and Copper.
• Persimmons are rich in fiber (6 grams per fruit), which can prevent blood sugar spikes and positively impacts your digestion.
No fancy equipment to make persimmon panna cotta
As you can see in the recipe video, no fancy equipment required to make the shape of these panna cottas – I used a paper towel and re-used plastic box from my greens! Oh, I hate that we need to buy greens in plastic bags or boxes. But at least we can reuse plastic boxes like this. You can also use kitchen towel and a small bowl.
Moreover, if you have muffin molds, you can fit your glasses in there under the angle. Don’t forget to put some paper in a hole, so it helps to hold the glasses.
By the way, leave to cool the cream mixture, before filling the glasses. Otherwise, filling with hot mixture, the condensate will form around the glass. So set aside your cream mixture for 5 minutes. This can prevent panna cottas from sticking to the glass and it may slide a little, when you reverse it.
Persimmon panna cotta dessert in glass is fun to make! A hint of rum essence is optional, you can substitute it to quarter teaspoon vanilla extract. You can also use vanilla bean, when heating heavy cream.
If you plan to store panna cottas more than 2 days in the fridge, better add a teaspoon of lemon juice to persimmon puree.
Decorate desserts with chocolate strips, pomegranate seeds, micro mint leaves or dried fruit pieces! Crushed pecan garnish is also great.
By the way, if you are out of time, you can just make white panna cotta in half of the glass and serve it with persimmon coulis. To make coulis, just don’t add agar agar to the mixture to persimmon puree!
To make this panna cotta refined sugar free, add half of tablespoon maple syrup instead of confectioners sugar. You can also use granulated sugar, just make sure it dissolves in cream mixture. Great substitute is stevia sweetener (just a pinch, as it is way more sweeter than regular sugar.
These are so easy to make and we are obsessed with serving desserts in a glass! This also makes less clean up. Check our other panna cotta recipes like Coffee panna cotta and Orange panna cotta. Try also making it with this Raspberry sauce.
Do you like this persimmon panna cotta recipe? Will you make it? If you`ll make this recipe – share a picture with us on social media!
Persimmon Panna Cotta
- 4 small glasses 150 ml / 5 fl oz
- small pot
- food processor
- bowls
- knife
- spoons
- 400 ml whipping cream (heavy cream)
- 50 g confectioners sugar
- 2 drops rum essence (optional)
- 15 g agar-agar powder
- 1 persimmon (1 big, or 2 medium)
- 25 ml water + extra for persimmon puree
- 1 tbsp dark chocolate strips for decoration (optional)
- In a small pan heat 350 ml/ 12 fl oz whipping cream. Sift in sugar, add rum essence and stir gently.400 ml whipping cream (heavy cream), 50 g confectioners sugar, 2 drops rum essence
- In a separate bowl mix 2/3 of agar (10g) with leftover 50 ml / 1½ fl oz warmed whipping cream. Add it to the pan and heat the creamy mixture for 2 minutes, stirring. Leave to cool a little.15 g agar-agar powder
- Prepare 4 serving glasses – place them safely under the angle. Fill the glasses till the edge and leave the panna cotta to set in the fridge – about an hour.
- Cut 1 persimmon and peel off the skin. Blend it with extra splash of water (if needed) until puree-consistency.1 persimmon
- Dissolve leftover 1/3 of Agar-Agar powder (5 g) in warm water, add it to persimmon puree. Stir well.15 g agar-agar powder, 25 ml water
- Put the glasses on the table. Fill the remaining space in the glasses with persimmon puree. Leave to set in the fridge for about 1-2 hours or until set completely.
- Decorate with chocolate strips.1 tbsp dark chocolate strips
