Wanna Drink? Me Neither. | From Cupcakes To Caviar

Pina Colada Panna Cotta With Caramelized Pineapple

I’ve always been a pretty boring person. Other than one period in my life when I was 18/19 I’ve never been a big drinker. There are some things I like such as a glass of wine every once in a while or maybe some Baileys but it’s never been something that is important to me. I’ve also found that as I’ve aged (I’m all of 27 now *cough cough*) I can’t really handle alcohol anyway. Half a glass of wine and my body lets me know “Janet, if you drink ONE sip more of that, I’ll make you pay for it”. Mind you, there are exceptions but they are rare. *Remembers the bottle of whipped cream vodka and my daughter in law Kaitlyn loving it as much as I did*

But, as I was saying… boring… not a big drinker. Though even if I drank, I’d still be boring. I’m that person who never watches all the trendy shows and couldn’t tell you what housewife was doing what to whom or what teen mom was in jail this week. My idea of a good time is a cup of hot tea, some chocolate and a good book while lying in bed with my electric mattress pad on full blast.

To me, alcohol ruins the flavor of a lot of things (though I LOVE what wine does in cooking, especially to chicken). Like Rum and Coke. I had an ex b/f *shudders at the memory of him* who loved rum and coke. Ok, so looking back, he was a lunatic as well as an alcoholic but that’s neither here nor there. But to me, putting rum in it ruins a perfectly good glass of coke. Same with whiskey and coke. Just give me the darn Coke! Yes, Coke… not Pepsi,
Kim, my foodie twin hehe Pepsi is an abomination against nature. 😛 Same also with Pina Coladas. Why would one ruin that lovely thick creamy drink with it’s flavors of coconut and pineapple by putting rum in it!!? It’s so much better as a virgin. *Starts humming Madonnas “Like A Virgin”

I also love those flavors in other things which is why when I saw a recipe for Pina Colada panna Cotta, I knew I’d be making it. And know what? It sucked. The pieces of lime zest in it did NOT go with the creamy texture of the dessert, the lime juice just made it taste strangely sour in an odd way instead of tangy (and wth does lime have to do with pina coladas anyway?) and the rum added an off taste to it. But I refused to give up. So I remade it but MY way. I used the same basic idea behind the other one in the sense of quantities because you need certain amounts for gelatin to set correctly but otherwise, this is mine. No lime (much as I love lime) no pieces of zest, and NO rum- just a touch of rum extract. I can honestly say that mine was better than the original. The only problem I had was getting the darn things to invert. I tried the hot water trick, the knife around the edge, lightly oiling the molds… but it hated me and came out sloppy. But it still tasted great! It is however quite sweet and quite rich so either use the smallest ramekins you can or plan on splitting one with someone else. So here you go… MY version of Pina Colada Panna Cotta With Caramelized Pineapple.

Pina Colada Panna Cotta With Caramelized Pineapple

1 can cream of coconut (NOT coconut milk. This can be found in the bar supply section with mixers and such)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 package gelatin (not jello; unflavored gelatin)
1/2 cup of the pineapple juice from the canned pineapple, divided
1 8 ounce can sliced pineapple in juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Combine the cream of coconut, heavy cream, vanilla and run extracts in a small pot and slowly bring to a gentle simmer (do NOT boil) over medium heat.
While it gets to temp, pour 1/4 cup of the pineapple juice into a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice then sprinkle the gelatin on top of the juice.
Once the cream mixture comes to a simmer, dump in the gelatin. Stir well for about a minute off the heat to make sure the gelatin dissolves.
Pour the mixture into 4 ramekins and refrigerate until set. This takes about 4 hours.
About an hour before you’re ready to serve, make the caramelized pineapple. It doesn’t take an hour but you want it to completely cool. Hot fruit and gelatin would not work together 😛
In a small sauce pan, combine the brown sugar, the last 1/4 cup of the pineapple juice and the butter. Over medium heat, stir until the butter melts. Add the pineapple slices and simmer in the sauce until they have absorbed much of the juice. Let cool.
To serve, invert the panna cottas onto serving plates. Serve garnished with the caramelized pineapple and with some of the sauce the pineapple was cooked in drizzled over the top.

27 thoughts on “Wanna Drink? Me Neither.”

“Boring” is a virtue nowadays.

27 thoughts on “Wanna Drink? Me Neither.”

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