MOCHA CAF?PANNA COTTA

MOCHA CAF?PANNA COTTA
1/4 cup cold water
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
1/4 cup vanilla or caramel Da Vinci sugar free syrup *
3/4 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda, or to taste
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1 tablespoon sugar free low carb hot cocoa mix
Pinch salt

Put the 1/4 cup water in a shallow bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface and let stand 5 minutes to soften. Microwave the gelatin for 30 seconds on HIGH or just until it comes to a light boil. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

In a 4-cup glass measure or bowl, bring 1/2 cup of the heavy cream and the Da Vinci syrup to a boil in the microwave. Stir in the Splenda, coffee powder, cocoa mix and salt; whisk until the cocoa has dissolved completely. Add the gelatin and stir well. Add the remaining 1 cup cold cream and stir well. Pour into 4 dessert dishes; chill at least 2-3 hours or until set.

Makes 4 servings
Do not freeze

* You could use any vanilla or caramel-type flavor such as French vanilla, Dulce de Leche, Praline, etc.

With granular Splenda:
Per Serving: 339 Calories; 33g Fat; 3g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 9g Net Carbs

With liquid Splenda:
Per Serving: 321 Calories; 33g Fat; 3g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

This is another variation of Giada's Espresso Panna Cotta. I wanted to add a hint of chocolate flavor this time and no glaze on the top. Another thing I did differently was to use just 1 teaspoon of gelatin to see if I could come up with a creamier softer set dessert. This amount seems just about right. It set up nicely but has more of a pudding consistency rather than a Jell-O consistency.

For some reason this tastes a little bitter to me. At this point I'm not sure if it's because I've used too much instant coffee, not enough Splenda or too much Splenda. I do know that 4 teaspoons of instant coffee didn't give Giada's panna cotta enough coffee flavor, but maybe 6 teaspoons is a little too much. I'll try 5 teaspoons next time and see how it tastes. It's a bit tricky adjusting the sweetener. The mixture tasted fine to me in its liquid state but for some reason the bitterness appeared after the panna cotta set up and chilled. It's still very good, but it needs some tweaking. I might also add a little more of the cocoa mix for more chocolate flavor.

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