Chocolate Orange Yogurt Panna Cotta (using Agar)

It is very hard to believe that this creamy and chocolaty treat is made with yogurt. I saw Bobby Flay making it on his Cooking Channel show, Brunch at Bobby's and wanted to try it for myself. I actually made this quite a while back along with Chocolate granola, but couldn't post it earlier.

Traditionally panna cotta is made with sweetened cream thickened with gelatine and molded. But this recipe uses low fat milk and Greek yogurt to get the same creaminess. It is a great dish to serve for brunch like Bobby Flay did, but it can also be served for dessert.

Original recipe used gelatine, but I subbed it with agar powder. I was worried how the texture would turn out to be, but as you see in the picture panna cotta turned out creamy and decadent. It is best to serve it with something crunchy like the chocolate granola or chopped nuts to give some texture to the dish.

Since my husband is a yogurt-phobic, I made just half the recipe. I was surprised that my son liked it too. He likes anything with chocolate and also I didn't mention about the yogurt in it, so he liked it quite a bit.

Recipe adapted from here:

Chocolate Yogurt Panna Cotta

Ingredients:

• 1⅔cups Plain Greek Yogurt (I used 2% Fage yogurt)
• 2cups Milk (1% or 2% would work fine)
• ¾cup Sugar
• 1tsp Agar powder
• 3oz. Semisweet Chocolate, finely chopped
• ¼cup Unsweetened Cocoa powder
• 2tsp Orange zest
• 1tsp Vanilla extract

Method:

1. Lightly grease eight 6-oz ramekins that are more wide than deep and keep ready.
2. In a medium saucepan, whisk milk, sugar, semi sweet chocolate and cocoa over medium heat until the mixture just starts to simmer, about 3~4 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the agar powder and whisk vigorously to incorporate it into the mixture. Cook for 2~3 minutes for agar powder to dissolve. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, orange zest and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Pour the slightly cooled chocolate mixture through a sieve into the yogurt and whisk well to combine. Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared ramekins. Pour till the very top, so that it will be easy to unmold the panna cotta after setting.
5. Cover the ramekins and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve chilled with chocolate granola, if desired.

Linking this to Valli's 'Cooking from Cookbook Challenge: November -- Week 1'.