This easy to make matcha green tea panna cotta is served with crunchy black sesame brittle. The contrasting textures and flavors is addicting!
Restaurants love to serve panna cotta. Not only is it an easy dessert to make, it is also one of the least expensive to produce. Panna cotta keeps well in the fridge and can be made ahead of time.
I worked at one restaurant that always had some variation of panna cotta on the menu. Every single week I would have to make hundreds of little mason jars filled with panna cotta.
My favorite version: matcha green tea panna cotta!
What is panna cotta?
Panna cotta is Italian for “cooked cream.” Fittingly named, panna cotta is essentially a cooked mixture of milk, cream, sugar and gelatin.
Play around with the combination of milk and cream to make the dessert super rich and creamy, or a tad bit on the lighter side. I opted for the latter and I used 2% milk instead of whole milk.
Great thing about panna cotta, it can also be made dairy-free by using coconut milk.
Matcha Panna Cotta
The flavor possibilities for panna cotta are endless. Spices, herbs, and tea can be steeped in the cream to infuse flavor.
What’s not to love about matcha? I love its pretty hue of green, its intoxicating aroma, and the way it pairs so well with many dishes. Its antioxidant properties and health benefits are also a plus.
My favorite aspect of panna cotta- you can use all sorts of different glasses, cups, and jars to serve them in. These lovely little goblets that I used are courtesy of Alex’s grandmother. She had given us a bunch of stemware and plates that she no longer uses.
To go along with my matcha green tea panna cotta, I made this super easy black sesame brittle. Green tea and black sesame taste amazing together. See black sesame cupcakes with matcha cream cheese frosting for further proof.
I can only eat so much panna cotta because I get bored of the silky texture. In order for me to finish a dessert, there must be contrast. I need something different to keep my palate interested.
The black sesame brittle provides the perfect crunch. It’s like eating creme brûlée, except you can have as much of the burnt sugar as you’d like!
(Links to the matcha powder and gelatin sheets I used are in the recipe below.)
Matcha Panna Cotta with Black Sesame Brittle
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup 2% milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon matcha powder
- 3 sheets silver strength gelatin, bloomed
Black Sesame Brittle:
- 25 grams glucose, or light corn syrup
- 5 ml water
- 65 grams unsalted butter
- pinch fine sea salt
- 80 grams granulated sugar
- 50 grams toasted black sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a small sauce pot, combine cream, milk and sugar. Set over medium heat and cook until sugar has dissolved.
- Place matcha powder in a small bowl. Whisk in a couple tablespoons of heated cream mixture. Mix until it becomes a smooth paste. Add matcha paste to rest of heated cream. Whisk until incorporated. Remove sauce pot from heat and let cool slightly.
- Bloom gelatin in a bowl of ice cold water for about 2-3 minutes. Once soft, squeeze out excess moisture and add gelatin to sauce pot. Stir until gelatin dissolves.
- Strain mixture into a spouted cup. Pour mixture into desired serving containers. Let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes then transfer to fridge to set. Let panna cotta rest in fridge for at least 3 hours.
Black Sesame Brittle:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In a small sauce pot, combine glucose, water, butter and salt. Set over medium heat and cook until butter has melted. Stir as needed to ensure even heating.
- Once mixture is liquid, add sugar. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add sesame seeds. Stir to combine. Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until sugar is boiling and has turned amber brown in color. Let cool to room temperature to allow brittle to set and harden. Once cool, use your hands to break up the brittle. Serve alongside panna cotta.
What a gorgeous and delicious dessert! So so creative too! I usually never order panna cotta for the same reason you’ve mentioned. I’m very big on texture so I’m loving the pairing with crunchy nutty sesame brittle!
Thank you Min! I think texture is everything! Just like I HAVE to eat ice cream in a waffle cone :)
Delicious blog I’ve just found :) I feel like losing myself around here!
Have a nice week!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you found me. :)
Wow that is such a pretty dessert! Brittle always goes so well with custard :)
Very excited to try this for a dinner party this weekend! I know panna cotta can be made a bit ahead, but will the brittle stay crisp if I make it 48 hours in advance?
Thanks!
Hi Ellen, I suggest making the brittle the night before. If your kitchen is cool and relatively dry, the brittle should be fine. However, too much humidity will make the brittle melt.
Hi Maryanne, how much for a powdered gelatin sub? Also I noticed from the pic that yours didn’t settle in the bottom. I’ve made this before using various formulas as well as other flavors, and I always had an amount of settling (concentrated color) in the bottom. Will this recipe have that problem? Thank you so much!!