Coconut and Rose Panna Cotta with Cherry Sauce

It was a sunny Sunday morning and I was staring at half pack of coconut meat in my freezer. I've been thinking about using them up recently, but somehow I just couldn't find a perfect recipe.

I shut the freezer door with a deep sigh and opened the fridge. Coconut cream, milk, cherries - hang on, they do sound wonderful, don't they?

Coconut and Rose Panna Cotta
makes 9
150 ml coconut cream
50 ml milk
50 gr caster sugar
1/2 tsp rosewater essence (I wish I had had edible dried rosebuds - anyone knows where to get some around here?)
red food coloring
1 1/2 tsp gelatin
50 ml cold water
100 ml coconut meat

1. Lightly grease moulds with vegetable oil (I used silicone muffin pans).
2. Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Combine coconut cream, milk, caster sugar, rosewater essence, and red food coloring in a medium bowl. Heat over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch.
4. Add two tablespoons of coconut cream mixture to gelatin mixture and stir until combined. Fold in gelatin mixture to coconut cream mixture. Cook over simmering water, stirring until gelatin are fully dissolved.
5. Pour into prepared moulds, approximately two tablespoons each. Refrigerate until panna cotta thickens slightly, 15-20 minutes.
6. Take out from fridge and arrange coconut meat decoratively on top of each panna cotta, pressing down a bit so they stick into the gelatin mixture.
7. Refrigerate until firm, approximately 4-5 hours.

Cherry Sauce
50 ml water
50 ml caster sugar
50 gr whole cherries, stem removed, washed
1/4 lemon, juice of, rind grated

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until sugar dissolved, mashing the cherries to release the juices. Boil until sauce thickens slightly.
2. Remove from heat and pass through a strainer.

To assemble
1. Spoon cherry sauce on serving plates.
2. Unmould the panna cotta: turn the moulds upside-down over a greaseproof paper and brush boiling water on the outer side of the moulds. Tap gently until panna cotta falls onto the paper. Gently lift and transfer to plates.

I am trying to send this to Click July: Bi-Colour. I hope they do receive it, because I'm sending really on the last minute :-)