Recipes involving chai vary widely all over India — the country of its origin. Now found throughout the U.S., chai flavors are very popular with variations of cardamon, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black pepper, etc. added into the mix.
By ICC Alumna Swarna Koneru
2016 California Professional Culinary Arts Graduate
These days, chai latte mixes are readily available in the super markets where you can steep into water or milk directly and enjoy. While a latte generally means a mixture of steamed milk and espresso, a chai latte is made with tea powder in a similar fashion.I happened to find this Dulce De Leche Chai Latte mix at a gourmet store and wanted to experiment with it.
I ended up creating a Chai Panna Cotta in a 2 oz shooters size for my guests at a recent party. I felt this size of desserts was good in that everyone can taste each kind, yet not eat a ton of dessert.
Preparation time 20 minutes, plus 4 hour setting time
Serves 4-6 larger portions, or 18 2 oz portions
Serving Size One 2 oz shooter
Calories Per Serving Approximately 98 per serving
Difficulty Easy
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 teaspoons plain gelatin powder (I used Knox)
- 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons chai latte powder of your choice (I used Mc Stevens Dulce De Leche Chai Latte)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Directions
- Sprinkle gelatin powder all over the milk in a small shallow bowl and allow gelatin to soften.
- In a medium saucepan set over low heat, bring the heavy cream and sugar to a low boil, and add the Chai Latte Powder and mix until combined and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Remove cream mixture from heat and whisk in the vanilla and gelatin along with the milk until combined. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and transfer to your serving cups and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours.
Tips:
- You can serve this with a little whipped cream on top or some caramel sauce or chocolate sauce on top if you like.I sprinkled a few coffee flavored chocolate shavings on top.
- If you do not like a lot of sweet, reduce the amount of sugar you add, sugar content in the mixes can vary by brand so first add the chai latte powder and then adjust your sugar content accordingly.
- If you do not have access to the chai latte powder, you can use your homemade masala chai mix as well.
- When sprinkling the gelatin do not dump it in one place in the milk else it will not soften completely and get lumpy.
This blog post was originally published by the International Culinary Center (ICC), founded as The French Culinary Institute (FCI). In 2020, ICE and ICC came together on one strong and dynamic national platform at ICE's campuses in New York City and Los Angeles. Explore your culinary education where the legacy lives on.
