Berry Panna Cotta Pie (AIP & Paleo)

Last weekend, we celebrated Independence Day (aka the 4th of July) in the US. The holiday sort of sneaked up on me, after a busier-than-average June, so I did not have time to concoct a new AIP patriotic dessert this year. I planned to make the patriotic panna cotta I posted last year (actually, it’s one of my most favorite, easiest AIP desserts because you really can substitute almost any fruit you like). At the last minute, I had an epiphany to make the panna cotta into a pie by first making an AIP pie crust (I used a recipe from my friend Martine at The Paleo Partridge), then filling the baked/cooled shell with berries & adding the panna cotta custard liquid. 

The results were spectacular! The pie tasted very reminiscent of the fruit tarts I use to make in my pre-AIP/paleo days & are something that I really miss.  I remarked to my husband, as we sampled the pie, that it tasted so “normal.” Martine’s crust was almost like a short bread cookie, very similar to the pate sucree I use to make for all my tarts. The creamy coconut filling wasn’t overwhelmingly coconut-y & pared so well with ripe berries & the almost buttery crust. I had to pinch myself that the dessert was completely AIP!!

Though I hadn’t intended to do a blog post on this pie, the reactions to the image I posted on Instagram were so great that I thought a post would be nice to make the recipe easier to find (and let’s be honest, more pin-able, since I can’t keep track of recipes very well unless I can pin them to Pinterest). I believe this crust/fruit/panna cotta custard combination would work well with fruits other than berries (peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, apples, pears, figs... etc) when berries are no longer in season. If you try another fruit variation, please post a picture on Instagram & tag me (@lauravein) in it!

Berry Panna Cotta Pie 

yields 8 servings, or one 9 inch pie  

1 recipe Sweet & Savory Pie Crust from The Paleo Partridge 

250 g (approximately 2 cups) berries or other fruit of choice (I used strawberries, blueberries, blackberries & raspberries)

1 recipe of Panna Cotta custard 

1. Make the sweet & savory pie crust according to the directions on Martine’s web site. The only changes I made were to skip piercing the bottom of the crust before baking (I didn’t want the filling to run out later) & to bake it 5 minutes longer because I didn’t want to risk the crust getting soggy from the filling. 
2. While the pie shell is cooling, prepare the berries, cutting them if desired. Place the fruit into the bottom of the cooled shell. 
3. Make the panna cotta custard according to the directions--Omit the vanilla for elimination phase AIP. Set the berry-filled pie shell onto a sheet pan for easier transport, then carefully pour the custard over the fruit. 
4. Allow the pie to chill until the custard is set, approximately 2 hours. Let the pie sit at room temperature at least 10 minutes before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator. The pie is best consumed within 24-36 hours, or else the crust begins to get soggy.

Patriotic Panna Cotta (AIP, Low FODMAP)

Update 7-31-15: a low FODMAP variation is now listed at the bottom of the recipe! 

Most every 4th of July (Independence Day for the US) of my childhood was spent at my family's lake cabin.  Sometimes we were on our own, just my parents, sisters, grandparents and me. Sometimes friends joined us.

The morning was spent getting up early and decorating our boat (as well as ourselves) with patriotic red-white-and-blue decorations before participating in the lake-wide boat parade where all the other decked out boats would lazily motor around our smallish lake. Our portion of the beach would be filled with many smaller American flags we stuck into the sand.

The food choices for the day would vary, but there was always a giant spread with many. Sometimes burgers, sometimes fish & even for several years, before the oven in the beloved vintage stove quite working, roasted a turkey with all the trimmings.

Once we kids were old enough to stay up, sparklers and fireworks became an important part of the evening. We would douce ourselves in bug spray & cover up as much skin as possible to ward off the mosquitos. When the sparklers were all used, we would move on to the smaller fireworks & then to a few bigger ones. My grandma would sit on the screened-in porch (blissfully mosquito free) and take notes on which particular fireworks we liked the best, so that we would know which ones to buy the following year.

Somewhere throughout the years, I started making a patriotic dessert. I'm fairly sure the first year's dessert was a fruit salad containing un-pitted cherries…. Luckily, my skills (and forethought) improved as the years progressed. Many desserts were inspired by things I'd seen in Martha Stewart Living magazine. One year, the cover of MSL featured the most gorgeous fruit tart, decorated to look like an American flag. While I couldn't make it exactly like the cover image, due to ingredient unavailability, my version became a favorite among family & friends. Pastry crust, chocolate, cream cheese/whipped cream filling, fresh berries…. I make some sort of variation on it nearly every year (you can find my recipe here).

As I was brainstorming something to make this year, I thought a bit sadly about my favorite fruit tart. Pretty much the only component of that tart I'm able to eat this year is the berries…. Nothing against berries, I just eat them most every day & thus have a hard time seeing them as a special Independence Day treat. Then I thought of panna cotta & how easy it would be to make a panna cotta out of coconut milk & add berries to it, sort of similar to the nectarine buttermilk panna cotta I made last year.  While I might be mourning my fruit tarts just a little bit, I'm consoling myself with the realization that this dessert is *much* faster to prepare (and less mess) and it's actually good for me!

Patriotic Panna Cotta / Coconut Panna Cotta with berries 
yields approximately 4-6 servings, depending on how big your vessels are

1 can (13.5 oz) Organic Coconut Milk (full fat)
1 Tbl (7g) grass-fed gelatin (like this one)
1 Tbl / 31g Organic Honey (local, if you can find it)
1/2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste (optional for AIP)
around 1.5 c / 200g mixed organic berries (I used blueberries, strawberries & raspberries)

1. Place the coconut milk nto a small sauce pan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the coconut milk & mix gently--I usually use my fingers & break up any clumps that I can.  Set aside & allow the gelatin to bloom for 10 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, prepare your vessels & berries. Place the vessels onto a pan (for easy transport). Fill each cup approximately 1/3 to 1/2 full of berries (either whole berries or cut). 
3. Heat the sauce pan over medium heat & whisk constantly until all the gelatin just melts.  Remove from the heat and immediately add the honey & vanilla.   
4. Give the coconut mixture a stir & then portion equally into the berry-filled vessels. 
5. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. The panna cotta may be made a day or two in advance, just cover the dishes with plastic wrap & store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. 

Note:

• Right now I'm trying to incorporate lots of gelatin into my life (it's full of protein, can help heal your gut, and is good for hair/nails/skin, just to name a few benefits), so I've made this panna cotta a bit more firm than usual. If you like, reduce the gelatin by half to produce a softer "custard." 
• This recipe could be easily doubled or tripled for a crowd. 

Low FODMAP Variation

1 can (13.5 oz) Coconut Milk, full fat & free from additives
1 Tbl (7g) grass-fed Gelatin
1 Tbl / 31g Organic Grade B Maple Syrup (optional, could be omitted for SIBO protocols)
1/8 tsp Vanilla Powder
around 1.5 c / 200g mixed organic Low FODMAP berries (I used blueberries, strawberries & raspberries)

• follow the same instructions as above, substituting the maple syrup for the honey & ensuring to use only low FODMAP fruits. 

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