Lychee Panna Cotta with Pomegranate Jelly & Granita

I love pomegranates. But I didn't really experience them until probably 3 years ago. Late bloomer, I know! I love the crunchiness of fresh pomegranate seeds but I also love the tangy kick you get from pomegranate juice.

Recently, Ryan from POM Wonderful sent me a case of POM Blueberry juice and I was so curious about what I could do with the wonderful product other than drink it, which I think is probably the best way to enjoy the stuff! Well, I found two amazing uses for the juice - as a icy cool, uber refreshing granita and as a deliciously creamy panna cotta. Oh man, I really outdid myself with this one!
I took it to the next level by topping the creamy panna cottas with some of the granita. Yep, was it good. First of all, the panna cotta was sooo creamy and soft (the way they are meant to be). But I think my favorite part was the pomegranate jelly. Maybe it's because I love jelly but this one was really good. Then... granita on top?! Yeah, it was a good idea.

Tip though, BE PATIENT! I obviously was not and poured in my pomegranate jelly layer before letting the panna cotta fully set, which ultimately led to a mixing of the two. It pays to be patient!

Wonderous POM Wonderful.

Lychee Panna Cotta with Pomegranate Jelly
Yields:
Original recipe here.

For the panna cotta:
1 can lychees, in syrup
2 tsp. powdered gelatin
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2 tbsn. sugar

For the pomegranate jelly:
1 1/2 tsp. powdered gelatin
1 cup pomegranate juice (I used pomegranate-blueberry)
1/2 cup sugar

Open the can of lychees and pour the lychees and syrup into a food processor. Process until smooth. There will be a lot of bits of lychee flesh and pulp, strain into a measuring cup until you get 1 cup of clear liquid. Place 3 tbsn. cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top, let sit while you do the next step. Combine the lychee liquid, cream, milk and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat on medium, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and it just comes to a boil. Remove the lychee mixture from the heat and add the gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is fully melted and combined. Divide mixture among glasses and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.

To make the jelly, place 3 tbsn. of cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let sit while you do the next step. Combine the pomegranate juice and sugar in a medium saucepan and heat on medium, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the gelatin and stir until fully melted and combined. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Pour over the panna cotta and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

You can also just enjoy the granita by itself, which is perfect for the summer heat!

Lychee Pomegranate Granita

Inspired by this.

1 can lychees, in syrup

1 cup pomegranate juice (I used blueberry-pomegrante)

sugar, to taste

Puree the lychees with the syrup and strain the liquid to remove extra large parts. Add the pomegranate juice. If needed, add some sugar (this is not likely, as the lychees are pretty sweet). Place in a freezer safe container that is open, such as a medium baking dish. Let freeze, scraping every 30 minutes or so with a fork until frozen but a bit slushy. Enjoy!

POM Wonderful is right!

Vietnamese Coffee Jellies

So I've recently become interested with homemade jello, odd right? I can't explain my ways, odd things just happen to cross my mind, then continue to intrigue me for a good week or sometimes much longer. Well, first I made some tea jellies, and let me tell you, they were awesome. Super refreshing and if you love tea, its a great way to enjoy it. Since I was so wildly successful, I decided to try again but this time with Vietnamese coffee.

Yummmm. I really don't think you can do wrong with jello. Once you've got your standard recipe, the possibilities are endless! I can't wait to try so many things! It's super easy and a great snack. This coffee jello is great alone, but I could see it being delicious chopped up and added to drinks or whatever your mind desires it with.

Add condensed milk to your liking till it turns a nice caramel color:

This little guy was meow-ing so sadly, so I gave him some milk and he was happy:

Mmmmm jiggly coffee:

Vietnamese Coffee Jellies

Yields: about 2 - 4 servings

Inspiration here.

Printable Recipe

3 -4 tbsn. Vietnamese coffee, such as Cafe du Monde

2 cups water, boiling

Sweetened condensed milk, to your taste

2 envelopes of gelatin/ 4 sheets of gelatin

Vietnamese coffee filter

To brew the coffee, remove the metal filter and add 1 heaping tbsn. of coffee grinds into the coffee maker. Twist the top of the filter back on until it stops. Make sure the filter is not too tight or else nothing will drop through and if its too loose, the drip will be too watery. Place it over an empty cup then pour the boiling water on the top of the filter until filled and allow the water to filter through. Brewing time should take 3 - 5 minutes. Continue this process until you have about 2 cups of coffee, using more coffee grinds as necessary. Add the condensed milk to your preferred taste, then add the powdered gelatin and stir until it is completely dissolved (If your coffee is no longer hot, make sure to heat it up again before adding the gelatin, it will dissolve easier this way). Pour into your preferred container and refrigerate until solid, about 2 - 4 hours. Enjoy!

Top with some more condensed milk and you're good to go!