Thandai Panna Cotta with Saffron Jelly

                      This is my favorite time of the year. The festivities start with the Indian festival of lights - Diwali. Thanksgiving follows next with festive food and crazy overnight shopping. And finally, the holiday season ends with Christmas and we welcome the new year with a bang. So its 2 months of awesome time with family and friends over food and fun.

                      With so much happening around this time, I am always looking for some quick to make dishes. As a big fan of fusion foods, I decided to marry two of my favorite cuisines to create a fun dessert. So here it is, the classic Italian dessert Panna Cotta with the Indian flavor of Thandai, served with Saffron flavored jelly.

                       Thandai is a classic Indian flavor. The paste is made with almonds, pistachio, fennel seeds, black pepper, saffron, cardamom etc. Being a vegetarian, I have used Agar Agar instead of Gelatin. Agar Agar flakes are widely available in grocery stores as well as online sites like Amazon.

So here is my fusion dessert, Thandai Panna Cotta with Saffron Jelly.

Ingredients:

Panna Cotta:

• 1 cup Heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Half and half
• 1 tsp Agar Agar powder
• Sugar - I used about 4 Tbsp. Can adjust as desired
• 2 Tbsp Thandai powder

Saffron Jelly:

• 2 cups Water
• 1 tsp Agar Agar powder
• Sugar - I used about 2 Tbsp. Can adjust as desired
• 3 tsp Rose water or 1 tsp rose essence
• 7-8 Strands of Saffron

Instructions:

For the Panna Cotta:

• Dissolve agar agar in 2 tbsp water and keep it aside

• Mix cream, half & half, Thandai masala and sugar in a non stick pan.
• Heat on medium-high heat and bring it to simmer. After that add the agar agar mixture and bring it to boil. Make sure to stir it continuously. 

• Once it comes to boil, take it off the heat and strain it. 

• Put in the serving glass and let it cool. Once it is room temperature, let it set in refrigerator for 2 hours or until set properly.

For the jelly:

• Dissolve agar agar in 2 tbsp water and keep it aside 
• Mix water, rose water, sugar and saffron in a pan.
• Heat on medium-high heat and bring it to simmer. After that add the agar agar mixture and bring it to boil. Make sure to stir it continuously.

• Once it comes to boil, take it off the heat.
• Take the serving glass from the refrigerator and pour this jelly water carefully over the already-set Panna Cotta.
• Let it cool until it reaches room temperature. Then keep it in the refrigerator to let it set for 3-4 hours or overnight.

Finally, Garnish with Pistachios and serve cold.