Mango, Cardamom & Saffron Pannacotta

As published in Express Tribune, Pakistan - August 2012Growing up in Pakistan always meant mango season was greeted with open arms and an unending appetite for these sweet honey laced varieties of mangoes grown in Pakistan, of which Sindhri mangoes which are indigenous to the province of Sindh, Pakistan alone - where I was born and brought up. In Pakistan, mangoes are almost always either cut up into pieces and eaten cold from the fridge or made into ice cream - so anything cooling really! As of late there is quite a huge Italian food obsession in the country and you can't blame anyone for the love of Italian food. My mother was always one to favour Western desserts and my love for Pakistani desserts come more from my longing of home cooked delicacies and therefore I adore twisting Western desserts with Pakistani flavours and vice versa.Here is a classic Italian pannacotta recipe fused with the flavours of Pakistan. To me the exotic aromas of cardamom and saffron take me back to comforting Sunday lunches at my Nani's home where she'd make warm nurturing semolina halva with these spices. Now in the UK, I not only crave these spices but also Pakistani mangoes in the Summer. Thankfully you can buy some varieties here, but what works best for this recipe is frozen and then pureed mangoes or tinned mango puree. Nothing is a better matched than cream and mangoes! I bring  together these nostalgic flavours fused together in Pannacotta -  hence combining quintessential dessert flavours of Pakistan with a Western dessert.Preparation and cooking time: 25 minutes and 6 hours/overnight chillingServes approximately 6 people2 cups fresh double cream3/4 cup mango puree2 tbsp fine caster sugar2 1/2 gelatine leaves (soaked in cold water until soft) or 2 1/2 tsp gelatine powder1 tsp freshly ground cardamom seed powder (Elachi powder)1/2 tsp saffron, soaked in hot milk for 15 minutes before useUtensils:  6 small metal pudding molds or 6 small glasses, cling film, a medium saucepan.1. In a saucepan on medium flame, heat the cream, mango puree and sugar until dissolved. Bring just to the boil and then take off the heat.2. Now (off the heat) add and dissolve the gelatine. Next add the saffron and cardamom powder. Pour into the molds or glasses, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight.3. Either turn out the panna cotta from the molds or serve it in the glasses topped with either a teaspoon of mango puree or slices of fresh mango.