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    Home » Recipes » Puddings

    Published on: February 27, 2011 by Janice Lawandi; Updated on: January 27, 2023 11 Comments

    Mascarpone panna cotta topped with lemon jelly and florentine crumble

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    This mascarpone panna cotta with lemon gelée and florentine crumble really hits all the notes of a good dessert: creamy, crunchy, sour, and sweet! Learn how to make this make-ahead dessert with this easy recipe.

    Components

    The inspiration for this make-ahead dessert is cheesecake and also lemon meringue pie. To achieve this, we have a:

    • panna cotta made with mascarpone so that it is creamy, rich, and smooth
    • lemon jelly topping to add tang and sour notes to balance it out
    • oat florentine cookies (recipe tweaked from Nestlé) with a slight caramel flavour reminiscent of graham crackers, crumbled over each jar of panna cotta. 
    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Timeline for this make-ahead dessert

    For panna cotta desserts that are set with gelatin, you need to prepare them early enough so that the gelatin has time to set. Here's a schedule:

    • 1 day before serving: make the florentines and the panna cotta.
    • ½ day before serving (once panna cotta has set): make the lemon jelly and assemble

    The finished dessert reminded me a lot of a lemon creamsicle, not quite the cheesecake flavour I had dreamed of. Still, I think they turned out beautifully, creamy and sweet on the bottom, with the tart jelly and nutty, crispy, caramel-y crumble on top.

    For a plain sweet milk panna cotta, try this vanilla bean panna cotta served with strawberry jam. Or for a more elaborate dessert, these Earl Grey panna cotta tarts are beautiful and impressive!

    📖 Recipe

    Mascarpone panna cotta with lemon jelly and florentine crumble

    AuthorAuthor : Janice Lawandi
    This recipe will yield soft, silky mascarpone panna cotta that you can serve plain or top with lemon jelly and crumbled florentine cookies.
    5 from 1 vote
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    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 2 minutes mins
    Total Time 17 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4
    Need measurements in CUPSUse the button options below to switch from Metric to US measurements! It's that easy!

    Ingredients
     
     

    Mascarpone panna cotta

    • 60 mL water
    • 5 mL Knox unflavoured gelatin powder equivalent to 2.8 grams by weight
    • 310 mL whipping cream (35 % fat) divided
    • 125 mL mascarpone
    • 100 grams granulated sugar
    • 2.5 mL finely grated lemon zest zest of ~ half a lemon
    • 2.5 mL pure vanilla extract

    Lemon jelly

    • 125 mL fresh lemon juice
    • 12.5 mL Knox unflavoured gelatin powder 1 packet or 7 grams
    • 50 grams granulated sugar
    • 250 mL water

    Assembly

    • 1 batch oat florentine cookies

    Instructions
     

    Mascarpone panna cotta

    • In a small stainless steel bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Set aside to bloom for about 5 minutes.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk the mascarpone with the sugar, 1 cup of the cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Set aside.
    • Add the final ¼ cup of cream to the bloomed gelatin, and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Heat the gelatin/cream mixture until the gelatin has dissolved and you can no longer see the gelatin flakes, stirring constantly.
    • Take the gelatin off the heat and stir it into the mascarpone mixture.
    • Pour the panna cotta into 4 glasses or ramekins.
    • Transfer to the fridge and chill to set, about 3 hours, if not overnight.

    Lemon jelly

    • Pour ¼ cup of lemon juice in a 2-cup measurer or a medium bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over top. Set aside to bloom at least 5 minutes.
    • In a small saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil to completely dissolve the sugar.
    • Pour the syrup over the gelatin, and whisk to dissolve the gelatin.
    • Add the remaining ¼ cup of lemon juice. Let the lemon jelly cool to room temperature before using.

    Assembly

    • When the panna cottas are set, and the lemon jelly has cooled to room temperature, pour the lemon jelly over top each of the panna cotta. Pour as little or as much as you would like (I poured a 1-inch layer on mine, but I think a half-inch would have been better).
    • Chill in the fridge to set the jelly, about 1 hour.
    • Crumble 2 of the florentine cookies over each of the panna cottas before serving.

    Notes

    • Panna cotta loosely based on this recipe featured in the Toronto Star newspaper
    • Given the acidity of the lemon juice, I used a full packet of gelatin so that it would set properly.
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    Comments

    1. Jan says

      March 06, 2011 at 3:12 pm

      Crumbling the florentines over top made it so much easier to enjoy all the components of the dessert in every bite 🙂

      Reply
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    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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