Matcha & Mascarpone Panna Cotta with Sicilian Floral Chantilly Recipe
抹茶とシチリアの花のパンナコッタ
When I started developing this recipe I was going to pair the matcha with strawberry or sakura — Japanese cherry blossom. Both beautiful combinations. But they had been done so many times before and I wanted something completely new. Something Italian.
Then I discovered Fiori di Sicilia at work. I fell in love with it immediately — a Sicilian aromatic extract made from citrus blossoms and vanilla that carries the most extraordinary floral fragrance I had ever tasted in a bottle. I tell everyone about it at Sur La Table. It pairs beautifully with matcha, with citrus, with any fruit or berry dessert. The moment I tasted it alongside matcha I knew — this was the combination nobody had made before.
Adding mascarpone to the base was the final decision that made everything click. This panna cotta does not taste like a standard panna cotta. It tastes like a matcha cheesecake — silky, slightly tangy, rich without being heavy, and completely unforgettable. It was the first dessert to sell out at the FGCU Mark Ain Azul Innovation Challenge 2026. People flocked to it. What they did not know is how simple it is to make.
recipe by victoria casella
Meet the Ingredients
Culinary Grade Matcha — finely ground green tea powder made from shade-grown tea leaves. Matcha comes in two main grades — ceremonial and culinary. Both are shade grown but ceremonial uses only the youngest leaves, ground more finely, producing a sweeter more delicate flavor designed for drinking as traditional Japanese tea. Culinary grade uses slightly more mature leaves with a stronger more robust flavor designed to hold up through heat and dairy — making it ideal for this recipe.
But why does shade growing make matcha so vibrantly green? When tea plants are deprived of sunlight they go into survival mode — producing significantly more chlorophyll to maximize the limited light available. More chlorophyll means a deeper, more intensely green color. Sunlight actually breaks down chlorophyll over time which is why sun grown tea is lighter and more yellow-green. Think of it like white asparagus — the same plant as green asparagus, but grown completely underground with no light at all, producing zero chlorophyll and therefore no color. Matcha is the opposite — shade grown to maximize chlorophyll with limited light, producing that signature deep vibrant green.
The shade also reduces catechins — the compounds responsible for bitterness — resulting in a sweeter, more umami-rich flavor.
I recommend organic certified matcha grown in Japan for the best flavor and quality. Matcha is rich in antioxidants and amino acids and provides calm sustained energy without the jitters of coffee — thanks to a natural compound called L-theanine.
Fiori di Sicilia extract — used in this recipe is a concentrated Sicilian aromatic made from citrus blossoms and vanilla. It is what gives this panna cotta its signature floral character — and what makes this combination completely unlike any matcha dessert you have tried before.
Ingredients
— 1½ cups heavy cream — divided
— ½ cup whole milk
— 3 tbsp granulated sugar
— ¼ tsp fine sea salt
— 2 tbsp pure maple syrup — lightest grade only
— 3 tsp culinary grade matcha
— 2 tsp gelatin — bloomed in 3 tbsp cold heavy cream
— 4 oz mascarpone, room temperature
— 1 tsp Madagascar Bourbon vanilla bean paste — added off heat
Sicilian Floral Chantilly
— 1 cup heavy cream, cold
— ¼ cup powdered sugar
— ½ tsp Fiori di Sicilia extract — King Arthur brand, available online and at Sur La Table
— Natural pink food gel — small amount
To Finish
— Fresh raspberries
— Black sesame seeds
— Gold leaf
Method — 手順
Makes 8 individual 3.5 oz cups
01. Bloom the Gelatin
Sprinkle gelatin over 3 tbsp cold heavy cream in a small bowl. Let sit 5 minutes until fully bloomed and softened. Cold cream is essential here — warm cream will not hydrate the gelatin properly.
02. Make the Matcha Paste
Combine culinary grade matcha and maple syrup in a small bowl. Using a spatula mix until as smooth as possible. The maple syrup begins hydrating the matcha particles immediately.
03. Build & Hydrate
Combine remaining heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, salt, and matcha paste in a saucepan over low heat. Using a spatula stir gently — do not whisk. Whisking creates air bubbles that will show on the surface of your panna cotta once set. Warm on low heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves completely and the matcha is fully hydrated into the cream.
04. Dissolve the Gelatin
Add bloomed gelatin to the warm matcha cream. Using a spatula stir gently until completely dissolved and no granules remain.
05. Add Mascarpone & Vanilla
Let the strained base cool slightly — warm but not hot. Whisk in room temperature mascarpone until completely smooth. Add vanilla bean paste and stir to combine. The base should be silky, smooth, and a beautiful pale green.
06. Strain
Pour entire base through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. This catches any remaining matcha particles and eliminates air bubbles simultaneously — giving you a perfectly smooth surface when set.
07. Pour & Set
Pour slowly and gently into individual 3.5 oz cups — no splashing which creates air bubbles. If any bubbles form on the surface pop them immediately with a toothpick before they set. Allow to cool completely at room temperature uncovered. Once completely cool cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate minimum 2 hours — overnight preferred.
08. Make the Sicilian Floral Chantilly
Combine cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, Fiori di Sicilia extract, and pink food gel. Whip to medium stiff peaks.
09. Finish
Pipe Sicilian floral chantilly on top of each set panna cotta. Place one fresh raspberry in the center. Scatter black sesame seeds around. Finish with gold leaf.
RECIPE NOTES
The matcha paste is cooked directly with the cream and sugar on low heat rather than being added cold. This allows the matcha particles to fully hydrate in warm liquid — producing a completely smooth, grit free base. Always use a spatula rather than a whisk during this stage. Whisking introduces air bubbles that will show on the surface of the panna cotta once set.
If any air bubbles form on the surface pop them immediately with a toothpick before they set. Once set they cannot be removed.
Allow the base to cool completely at room temperature before covering and refrigerating.
Covering warm panna cotta causes condensation on the surface — ruining the smooth clean finish.
The gelatin is bloomed in cold heavy cream rather than water — water is the enemy when working with a fat based cream. This keeps the entire base fat based from start to finish, producing a silkier, more cohesive texture.
The mascarpone acts as a natural secondary stabilizer alongside the gelatin — this is why the panna cotta tastes like a cheesecake and holds its shape confidently. Individual 3.5 oz cups set in approximately 2 hours. A larger mold will need overnight.
Maple syrup must be pure and lightest grade — dark maple will overpower the matcha and Fiori di Sicilia and introduce bitterness.
Mascarpone must be at room temperature — cold mascarpone will leave lumps in the cream.
Fiori di Sicilia is a strong Sicilian aromatic extract made from citrus blossoms and vanilla. I find ½ tsp is the perfect amount — use too much and it becomes a dominating flavor. King Arthur brand is recommended and widely available online and at Sur La Table.
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