Vegetarian Strawberry Panna Cotta with Rosy Strawberry Compote

A very Happy Birthday to us!! Yes, on this day, two years back, I ventured into the world of blogging with a strong passion to explore and enjoy the art of cooking and serving people with love. Little did I know then how drastically my life would change and how far I have reached from being just a homemaker to being a Home Baker and now an instructor too!! That's a long journey that I have covered and there are still miles to go before I reach my destination. Your love and appreciation had brought me here so far and I hope to continue receiving the attention and encouragement in the future too. Keeping with my blog's theme of quick and easy recipes and delicious too, I celebrate this day with another such awesome dessert which is insanely easy to make and equally stunning to look at!! 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup full cream milk

1 1/2 cup whipping cream or heavy cream

1 1/2 cup strawberry pulp made from about 250 gms of stemmed and hulled strawberries (I used my stock of fresh and frozen strawberry pulp)

1/4-1/3 cup sugar depending on your taste

1 tsp vanila extract 

3 tsp agar agar powder (you can also use 3 tsp gelatin powder)

For strawberry compote 

1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries washed, hulled and halved

1/4 cup water

3-5 tbsp sugar, depending on your taste 

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp rose water

Direction 

Mix the milk and sugar and sprinkle the agar agar on top. Let it stand for 5 minutes until dissolved. Now switch on the flame and while stirring constantly, put the pot of milk on medium flame. If using gelatin, be careful not to boil the mixture. It should be just hot with small bubbles just starting to appear on the sides. 

For gelatin users, make sure the gelatin has dissolved completely and no lumps remain. Check this by taking a bit of the milk mixture in your hands and checking the texture with your fingers. Grainy means a bit more of mixing and heating, but no boiling. 

If using agar agar, you will need to boil the mixture until the mixture is smooth and creamy and slightly thickened. Remember to bring it to boil for just once and that should be good enough to dissolve the powder. 

Now remove from flame and mix in the cream and vanilla. Whisk well. Next add the strawberry pulp and mix again. Check the taste and add more sugar if needed. If adding more sugar, bring the mixture back to the flame and stir constantly till the sugar dissolves. 

Cool the mixture slightly to being warm. Meanwhile, lightly grease the serving bowls, if you wish to unmould. If not, just keep them ready to pour in the cream. Once the mixture has cooled slightly, pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins and chill till set. 

For the strawberry compote, mix strawberries, sugar, lemon juice  and water in a non stick pan and put it on stove top on a medium flame. Keep stirring in between to avoid burning. The mixture will thicken and will have a saucy consistency in about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add in the rose water. Stir and let cool. Pour this on top of the set panna cotta and chill or serve immediately!!