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Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta

October 21, 2011 by Nicole 15 Comments

Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta with Pomegranate Arils

Do you like to play around in the kitchen?  Have you ever created a recipe so good it should have won a prize?  Well I’ve got a contest for you.  A handful of food blogger friends and I have teamed up with Pacific Natural Foods to be judges in the Everyday Chef Challenge – a fun and friendly recipe competition that any of you can enter.  There are some fantastic prizes up for grabs, including an 11-piece Le Creuset Cookware Set valued at $1000!

Here are the recipe categories:

  • Drinks, judged by Lori Lange of Recipe Girl
  • Appetizers and sides, judged by Julie Mastbrook of Mommie Cooks
  • Main dishes, judged by Gaby Dalkin of What’s Gaby Cooking
  • Desserts, judged by Me!

You may enter as many recipes in as many categories as you wish as long as each recipe entry includes at least one Pacific Natural Foods product.

Each guest judge got to choose the prize being offered for their category and I think we picked out some pretty cool stuff.  Check out these prizes:

  • Drinks category: Vitamix Pro
  • Appetizers/Snacks category: KitchenAid Professional Stand Mixer plus a KitchenAid Bowl and Whisk Set
  • Main Dishes category: 6 ¾ quart Le Creuset Wide Oval French Oven, a  Le Creuset Round Grill and Griddle Set, and a Breville Cordless Immersion Blender.
  • Dessert category: KitchenAid Professional 600 Stand Mixer plus a KitchenAid Ice Cream Bowl Attachment
  • People’s Choice Winner: Le Creuset 11-piece Cookware Set

The contest opens on Monday and the contest runs through November 14th, so you have plenty of time to get in the kitchen and start creating!  Full contest details can be found here.

Pacific Natural Foods sent me a box of their products to sample so that I could create a recipe to help get your creative juices flowing.  When I saw this hazelnut chocolate drink, I knew I’d be using it in my dessert recipe.

Pacific Foods Hazelnut Chocolate Milk

I decided to combine the hazelnut chocolate drink with heavy cream, chocolate hazelnut spread, and gelatin to make a simple panna cotta.  Although panna cotta is easy to make (this recipe only has four ingredients!), I think it can be a very elegant dessert – especially when dressed up with gorgeous pomegranate arils.

Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta

Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup Pacific Natural Foods Hazelnut Chocolate Drink
1/2 cup hazelnut chocolate spread, such as Nutella
3 tablespoons cold water
1 packet powdered gelatin (approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons)

optional garnish:  whipped cream, pomegranate arils, chopped toasted hazelnuts

Heat cream, hazelnut chocolate drink, and hazelnut spread in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking occasionally until hazelnut spread has melted and is completely incorporated and liquid is steaming; remove from heat.  While cream mixture is heating, put the cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle with gelatin.  Let gelatin soften for five minutes.  Once cream mixture has been removed from heat, but is still hot, whisk in softened gelatin until completely dissolved.  Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl with a pour spout or a large meauring cup then divide it between four custard cups, ramekins, wine glasses, or other containers of your choice.  Chill in refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours or until completely firm.

Garnish as desired with whipped cream, chopped hazelnuts, and/or pomegranate arils.

Disclosure: I am working with Pacific Natural Foods as a guest judge for their Everyday Chef Challenge.  I was provided with a box of Pacific Natural Foods products, but am not being compensated in any other way.  Recipe and opinions expressed are my own.

Filed Under: Desserts, Miscellaneous

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Abby says

    October 22, 2011 at 5:35 am

    how fun! Time to get working :)
    Reply
  2. Phil says

    October 22, 2011 at 8:44 am

    These are so delicious! Confession: it's the first time I've ever had Panna Cotta, and despite having heard you say it several times, I still don't know how to pronounce it correctly. :-)
    Reply
  3. Kathryn says

    October 22, 2011 at 9:09 am

    This looks so good! Can you substitute whole milk for the heavy cream?
    Reply
  4. Jennifer @ Raisin Questions says

    October 23, 2011 at 7:20 pm

    Talk about elegant! Panna cotta, in any flavor, has been on my list of things to make for a long time! This recipe is very inspiring!
    Reply
  5. Lori Riddle says

    October 25, 2011 at 11:04 am

    This panna cotta is gorgeous! How pretty would this be on your Christmas table?
    Reply
  6. Biana @ Easy and Tasty Recipes says

    October 26, 2011 at 8:33 am

    This looks like a great recipe, like the combination of chocolate and hazelnuts.
    Reply
  7. Lemon says

    October 26, 2011 at 9:46 am

    This looks so delicious. It's a creative variation of the classic panna cotta, yum.
    Reply
  8. susan from food blogga says

    October 27, 2011 at 8:55 am

    This would make an ideal non-pie Thanksgiving dessert, Nicole. It's gorgeous!
    Reply
  9. Dave says

    October 30, 2011 at 6:31 pm

    Made panna cotta for the first time and it turned out wonderful.
    Reply
  10. Alisa says

    November 1, 2011 at 1:24 pm

    Nicole, this was so easy and had just the right amount of rich flavor - it wasn't as heavy as I expected (more dangerous!). Mine had a very thin layer of film on top, though. Is that normal? I substituted the hazelnut chocolate drink with chocolate soy milk (added protein). Could that be why it did that or is the film normal?
    Reply
  11. Laura says

    November 30, 2011 at 7:57 am

    I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit! Thank you for always making such beautiful recipes so easy to follow!
    Reply
  12. Christine says

    December 8, 2011 at 6:56 pm

    Hey Nicole, your Panna Cotta is a Recipe Guessing Game on Knapkins. Think your friends can win? www.knapkins.com/guess_games/1011?source=blog Show your foodie love and vote here www.knapkins.com/duel?dish=11213
    Reply
  13. Stacey says

    February 8, 2012 at 6:19 pm

    This looks delicious! I wanted to let you know that I linked to this post on my blog post "21 Delicious Desserts for Your Valentine". Thanks for sharing your recipe! Stacey http://iwanttomakethis.com/2012/02/21-delicious-desserts-for-your.html
    Reply
  14. Jim Denforth says

    April 18, 2012 at 2:02 pm

    Awesome, thanks for this! Great food sensory !
    Reply
  15. Angelica says

    April 26, 2012 at 1:45 am

    Hi Nicole, Your Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta looks tasty You can submit your Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta pics on http://www.foodporn.net It is a food photography site where members can submit all food pictures that make readers hungry :) I am already hungry to see your Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta photo btw, LOL
    Reply

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