The next recipe for our Mad Scientist menu is quite an eyeful…Panna Corneas are a lightened up spooky version of flan, where instead of a heavy egg custard, I made an easy coconut panna cotta along with a bloody fruit coulis. For this recipe, I use a whole kiwi fruit rather than just a slice that usually tops these classic panna cotta eyeballs. I like that there is fruit in every bite. One might be concerned that the kiwi will interfere with the gelatin setting up, it doesn’t. But f you’re worried about it, please feel free to top the coconut panna cotta with a slice of kiwi right before serving. Enjoy!
Panna Corneas
Get a deliciously spooky eyeful on Halloween with a simple dessert of coconut panna cotta, kiwis, blueberries and a bloody berry coulis.
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Servings: 8 eyes
Equipment
- Round Ice mold (I got mine from Cost Plus World Market)
Ingredients
Bloody Berry Coulis
- 1 cup frozen mixed berries
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
Panna Cotta
- 12 oz. Coconut Milk, whole fat, unsweetened
- 1 envelope gelatin
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 8 small kiwis For the irises
- 8 blueberries, sliced For the pupils
Lenses(Optional)
- 1 envelope gelatin
- ¼ cup water
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- juice of one lime
Instructions
Bloody Berry Coulis
- In a small saucepan bring fruit, sugar and water to a boil and smash fruit with a masher. Boil for about 5 minutes and allow to cool. Strain to remove fruit and set aside.
Coconut Panna Corneas
- In a small saucepan, add coconut milk and sprinkle gelatin and allow to bloom for 10 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla and heat until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat allow to cool while preparing the kiwis.
- Cut off the ends of kiwis with a knife. Use a 1-inch round cookie cutter and cut down out the center of the kiwi. Slice down the outside skin with a knife and peel away. Use a ¼ teaspoon to scoop out a small indentation on one side of the kiwi for the blueberry pupil. Trim kiwis as needed so that they don't stick up past the rim of the mold. Prepare the molds-Separate the two halves of the ice mold and place a small piece of duct tape over the holes on the top half and then spray both of them with cooking spray. Place kiwis pupil side down into the molds and add ~¼ cup of coconut mixture to each mold until the mixture comes right up to the rim of the mold. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
Optional-Lenses
- Heat gelatin, water, sugar and lime juice in a small bowl in a microwave for 1 minute, Stir and heat an additional minute or until gelatin. Pour gelatin onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, chill and allow to set. Use the same 1-inch cookie cutter that was used to cut the kiwi and cut out rounds of gelatin lenses.
Assembly
- Pour about 2 tablespoons of the berry coulis into the bottom of each petri dish. Carefully remove the panna cotta from the molds and place each eyeball in a petri dish. Slice blueberries and place slice into the indentation on the kiwi and serve immediately. Optional: Place gelatin lens over the blueberry and then serve.
These were such a hit at my party last year! I didn’t realize how freaked out everyone would get, but I won them over with the flavor. Its so and gluten free I make the Panna Cotta and berry topping sometimes for myself.
That’s wonderful Angie! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and for leaving a comment. You made my day. Thank you again my dear.
Lori 🖤
Love this idea! World Market doesn’t seem to carry the round ice molds anymore. What is the approximate dimension of the mold you use? Thank you; looking forward to trying this for Halloween!
Hi Darcy
The one I used was about 2.5-inch diameter sphere molds. If World Market doesn’t carry them anymore, you can definitely find them online. Hope that helps. Happy Halloween!
Lori🖤