A simple, elegant, and delicious dairy-gelatin dessert featuring American persimmons! Made using the raw fruit to preserve the best texture and flavor.
Put small saucepan over medium heat and add cream, half-and-half, and sugar, whisking constantly as the temperature increases. Do NOT bring mixture to boil. You only want to heat it to the point that the sugar dissolves and the cream begins to steam. Remove pan from heat, add vanilla, stir, then set aside.
Put 1.5 tablespoons of COLD water or milk into small microwave-safe bowl, then slowly pour gelatin over surface of liquid. Let sit and bloom for 5 minutes. Put into microwave for 10 seconds to dissolve. Slowly whisk the now-dissolved gelatin into warm cream-sugar mix, slowly whisking as you go to incorporate).
Pour warm, liquid panna cotta into clear glass serving dishes. Refrigerate for 6-24 hours or up to three days before serving. If not serving within 24 hours, cover each panna cotta with plastic wrap or an equivalent as soon as it's chilled after ~1 hour (you don't want to capture condensation).
After ~6 hours hours of panna cotta chilling, put persimmon pulp and other ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. Carefully and evenly distribute persimmon topping onto the surface of each chilled panna cotta then smooth surface with a flexible spatula. Cover each dish with plastic wrap or equivalent to prevent surface oxidation/discoloration, especially if not serving same day. Return to fridge and let chill for at least one hour before serving.
Optional: Add a bit of whipped cream and/or a dusting of nutmeg to the top before serving.
American persimmon panna cotta https://www.tyrantfarms.com/american-persimmon-panna-cotta/