Not all blueberries are created equal
What secret do these berries hide?
Whilst I love all berries with their deep fruity flavour and subtle sweetness, I have to admit that I’m new to this cooking with berries business. I’ve used fresh berries as fillings and garnishes for desserts and cakes for years, but actually cooking with them has been a development that’s come over the the past year, and as a result I’m still learning how berries work when baked/boiled or cooked in other manners.
When I saw this post over at Delicious Days, I was absolutely flabbergasted. How on earth could Nicky have possibly created something so intensely colored and beautiful as this dessert? I sat, mouth agape, as I stared at this picture, and after I managed to shake myself from my stupor, I made a note that I definitely had to give this a try!
I had half a bag of frozen blueberries leftover from making blueberry buttermilk muffins the other day, and since I had all the required ingredients, I decided to give this a try the next night. So, I raced home from work the next day and bounded into the kitchen, bright eyed and bushy tailed, eager to cook me up some panna cotta goodness! So, I followed each of the steps, and got to the point where I added the blueberry puree to the cream…
and then my heart fell to the floor with a resounding THUMP.
Instead of staying this ridiculously intense color of pinky purple, my mixture instantly faded to a pale purpley grey.
Say it with me folks - awwwwwwwwwww 
I wondered what was wrong. I’d followed the recipe mostly step by step (and certainly hadn’t made any changes that I thought would affect the colour), and yet the blueberry flavor was quite mild, and the color nothing like the stunning photographs in Nicky’s blog. I left a message on her post saying that I’d tried the recipe but it hadn’t worked out quite like hers, and asked her for any possible feedback she may have, and when she sent her reply I was stunned.
Apparently there’s quite a difference between cultivated and wild blueberries! When I was blending my berries I had wondered why the flesh of some of the berries was clear, but didn’t think anything of it and merrily continued on my way. DOH! Now, don’t get me wrong - whilst the panna cotta was still definetely edible, it just didn’t pack the blueberry punch I had been dreaming of!
Solution? Make a lovely little blueberry syrup to accompany these little creamy jellies and help boost the flavor!
I’ll definitely give these another try when I can get my hands on some wild blueberries, but in the meantime while I’ve only got access to the frozen cultivated variety, the following recipe will serve me well 
Blueberry Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Blueberry Syrup (adapted from Delicious:Days)
Ingredients
100mL thickened/whipping cream
4 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste
50mL buttermilk
100g blueberries
1 tsp gelatine powder
Blueberry Syrup
1/3 cup blueberries
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp corn syrup (or liquid glucose)
1 tsp lemon juice
1. Mix cream, sugar and vanilla paste in a small saucepan and heat gently for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure sugar dissolves and mixture is well combined. Remove saucepan from heat once sugar has dissolved completely.
2. Remove roughly 1 tbsp of the heated cream mixture from the saucepan and mix with gelatine powder, mixing thoroughly to get rid of any lumps. Once gelatine has dissolved, pour this mixture into the rest of the cream mixture and stir well to combine completely.
3. Put blueberries and buttermilk in a blender and process till smooth, then pour through a fine strainer into a bowl (remember, we want the panna cotta to be as smooth as possible).
4. Mix the blueberry puree into the cream, then pour into ramekins/bowls/moulds and leave to set for at least 8 hours.
Whilst panna cotta is chilling, prepare the syrup…
5. Pour the blueberries, sugar, syrup, water and lemon juice into a small saucepan. Lightly crush some of the blueberries to break the skin (we want some of that juice to come out of the berry into the syrup!)
6. Slowly bring the mixture to a simmer over a medium heat, giving the pan an occasional swirl to mix everything up. Once it has reached simmering point, let it simmer for 1-2 minutes, then pour into a small jug/flask and leave in fridge for a few hours so the mixture can become slightly thicker and the flavors can develop.
7. Just before serving, dip the ramekins of panna cotta briefly into boiling water (don’t let the water get into the mixture!), then run a knife around the outer edge and turn out onto a plate and pour some syrup over the top. Alternatively, serve the panna cotta in their containers with some syrup poured on top
Technorati Tags: berries, blueberries, pannacotta, Italian desserts, cream, jelly, dessert
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Comments
I guess that’s why they call them wild! I certainly can appreciate you disappointment.
Still your panna cotta looks just terrific. The sauce, isn’t that the sign of a real chef: pull a dish from the fire of disappointment! Excellent!
Ellie, I didn’t know about the difference either!
I agree with Tanna, your panna cotta looks delicious!
I like its color very much - let me tell you a secret: I was so crazy about purple things that my first car was purple… Can you believe it? lol
I was always so curious about blueberries but only got to try them a few months ago.
I guess natural/wild is always best. Still, your pannacotta looks wonderful. I’ll try this in the spring!
Take care!
Wild blueberries? No problem, BJP International import them straight from the forests of Poland in glass jars. I’ve seen some Russian ones too in Carlisle Street. Call them on 9553 5411 for the nearest stockist, they sell from their own retail shop in Cheltenham as well.
I looove panna cotta! And this looks like a fantastic recipe! I make a yogurt panna cotta that would be perfect with the blueberry puree. I made mine with raspberry last time and it was YUMMY! I gotta try the blueberries.
Grey, blue, pink….it looks good to eat no matter what! I have missed so many of your yummy posts, I am happy to be back in the swing of things!
Grey..what grey? I don’t see no grey…! 
Hmm you know, blackberries would give you the nice purple hue like that at Nicky’s. But of course then it won’t be blueberry pannacotta.. would it..?
ps. The disaster.. that wasn’t a disaster.. wasn’t a disaster.. it was an experiment that turned out very well I might add.. 
Ellie,
your accident reminds me Ilva’s photo of wild berry. She’s shown its flesh very very blue, and she told me it’s hard to get rid of its juice stain too. You may like to look up her photo… don’t be surprise it actually looks the same our cultivate type.
Btw, your frozen blueberries still look so good even as garnish!
I know how disapointing that can be, but is still looks pretty good to me. I have tagged you for a meme over at my blog. No pressure, just if you want to.
It’s always such a surprise when a recipe doesn’t turn out quite as expected, but then it’s also a great opportunity to learn new things when you figure out why the results were different.
I’ve never made panna cotta, but now I’m curious!
I’ve recently discovered your blog–one of the BEST named ever!–and have so enjoyed going through your archives. Your writing is clever and your recipes delicious.
I have eaten panna cotta but have never made it. After reading about your experience, I think I’ll try it. Despite your disappointment, it looks great!
Lis - cheers hon I have no problems using the cultivated for just home cooking, but if I were making this for a dinner party I think I’d acquire the wild ones just to impress with the colour
Brilynn - Hehehe! My family have long since devoured these, but they’re easy enough to make so I’d be more than happy to mix you up some!
Tanna - aww shucks! Thanks hon - I’ve got to say that this food blogging caper is mostly responsible for the sauce! In the past I would’ve given up and been despondant, but now I’ll look for a way to increase flavour for a last-minute fix!
Patricia - Thanks sweetheart As for the car…I think it may have ended up in Melbourne as I saw the most insanely purple car on the roads yesterday!!
Kat - thanks hon
Neil - you are a veritable fountain of knowledge! I’m fine to use the cultivated frozens for myself, but if I make this for a dinner party and want the more intense colour, I’ll bear this in mind
Kitarra - Oooo, raspberry eh? You try the blueberry, and I’ll try the raspberry next time
Helen - Very glad to see you back! Can’t wait to see more of your delicious posts!
Iling - It wouldn’t be blueberry, but that’s an awesome idea! Will try the blackberry next time
Gattina - I just had a look at the picture and I don’t think I’ve seen anything so blue before! No wonder Nicky’s panna cotta stayed so vibrant Am glad you like my dish 
Mandi - Shucks, cheers hon Thanks for the tag, it might take a little while as there are quite a few food blogging events that I need to post for in the next few weeks, but I’ve made a note to get around to it
Ari - You should definitely give a panna cotta a try They’re ridiculously easy as far as desserts go, and unbelievably versatile and impressive
Susan - Awww, thanks sweetheart Panna cotta is a great dessert to have in the repertoire as it’s easy and impressive! It’s a great base for syrups and fruit coulis, so once you’ve given it a try, feel free to play around and experiment with flavours!
Peabody - Thanks darlin
Despite the difference in colour (or lacking), it looks utterly stunning! I like the shine on the top. I also like the syrup topping. What a great idea!
Oh, and i never knew there’s difference in bluberries either - just shows how much i know… and i happen to love them!
I did not know there was a difference either - I’ve learned something new! As for the different color, I can understand your disappointment as it didn’t turn out the way you thought it would, but you’ve got nothing to be upset about - because that panna cotta looks amazingly good!