Kefir and a honey-sweetened red wine syrup gives these creamy desserts a tart, refreshing, and sophisticated edge.

　　

Ingredients

8 servings

　　

Panna cotta:

3 1/2 sheets gelatin

　　2 cups heavy whipping cream (32–36% butterfat)

　　1 cup sugar

　　2 cups organic plain whole-milk kefir

　　1/2 cup Kefir Labneh

　　

Red wine syrup:

1 (750-ml) bottle red wine (your choice)

　　1/2 cup honey

　　1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

　　

For serving:

Sliced peaches and pomegranate seeds (arils), for garnish

　　

For the panna cotta:

Step 1

Submerge the gelatin in an ice bath for 10 minutes, then drain well. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a light simmer over medium heat. Add the drained gelatin to the pan with the cream (still over heat) and whisk in the sugar. Cook for 2 minutes until the sugar is fully dissolved. In a bowl, combine the kefir and labneh, then add the warm cream mixture to the bowl and combine until fully incorporated. Pour this mixture into eight 6-ounce ramekins or custard molds. Allow it to set in the refrigerator overnight.

　　

For the red wine syrup:

Step 2

Pour the bottle of wine into a small, heavy-bottomed pot and add the honey and black pepper. Cook the wine until all the alcohol is gone and it is reduced to a thick syrup. Pour the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove the pepper. Refrigerate the syrup until you are ready to garnish the panna cotta.

　　

To plate:

Step 3

Remove the panna cotta from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. Fill a bowl with hot tap water and dip each panna cotta mold into the water, then turn out onto individual plates. Garnish with sliced peaches and pomegranate seeds (arils) and drizzle with the red wine syrup.

　　From The Kefir Cookbook: An Ancient Healing Superfood for Modern Life, Recipes From My Family Table and Around the World © 2018 by Julie Smolyansky. Reprinted with permission from HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.