Panna Cotta

Here’s a fact you may not know about me. When I quit my job in the cooperate world, I went on a journey to find myself (whatever that means) and started selling mini baked goods for events. It wasn’t quite as glamorous as I had anticipated, but it paid the bills. Well, barely. With a tiny kitchen and fridge, mini desserts were all I could offer. While that seems so long ago now, there are a few things I remember vividly. One of them is how people went crazy over the mini panna cotta served in shot glasses and topped with berries, and since it was the easiest thing on my menu, I couldn’t have been happier.
What is panna cotta?

Panna cotta means ‘cooked cream’ in Italian. It includes very few ingredients, and is basically a simple mixture of cream, sugar, and vanilla. Gelatin is added to set the mixture and create a custard-like consistency. The final product is rich and silky smooth. This is best classic panna cotta recipe I know! I’ve made it dozens of times. Despite the heavy cream, this dessert is perfect as a light not-too-sweet dessert after a heavy meal. If you wish to make an even lighter panna cotta, you can replace some of the heavy cream with a lighter cream or milk. I tried it that way a few times and it was still very much delicious.

What is gelatin and what is it doing in my panna cotta?

I’m here to save you guys. There’s no need to fear the word “gelatin”. Just because it might be unfamiliar doesn’t mean it’s complicated – and it really isn’t.

Gelatin is made of tiny granules that have no color or flavor, and is used as a thickening agent. Depending on your area, gelatin may be sold in boxes that contain 2 or more envelopes. One envelope usually contains 1/4 – 1/2 oz. (7-14g) of gelatin.

To use gelatin, we first sprinkle it over cold water (or another liquid) and let it sit for a few minutes to soften. In the meantime, we prepare our cream mixture by heating cream, sugar, and vanilla together in a saucepan until hot and the sugar is dissolved. Once hot, we add the softened gelatin and immediately whisk until smooth. Adding the gelatin to a hot mixture is what activates it. Make sure the mixture is completely smooth and that there are no little crystals remaining. If there are, bring the saucepan back to the stove and heat very gently without letting the mixture boil (this is very important!) until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

Panna Cotta

Prep Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

Ingredients for Panna Cotta:

•     1 cup whole milk
•     1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp sugar
•     2 cups heavy whipping cream
•     2 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin (1 packet Knox gelatin)
•     1 cup sour cream
•     1 tsp vanilla extract
•     pinch salt

Ingredients for Berry Sauce:

•     2 cups berries divided (I used 1 cup raspberries and 1 cup quartered or halved strawberries)
•     1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
•     3 Tbsp granulated sugar

Instructions

How to Make Panna Cotta:

1. Off the heat, place 1 cup milk in a medium sauce pan and sprinkle the top with 1 packet gelatin. Let stand 3-5 min or until gelatin is softened. Place pan over medium/low heat and stir until gelatin dissolves and mixture is steaming, about 4-5 min (do not boil).
2. Add 2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and a pinch of salt. Continue stirring about 5 min until sugar is fully dissolved and mixture is steaming (do not boil). Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
3. Place sour cream in a medium bowl with a pouring lip. Whisking constantly, gradually add warm cream. Once the mixture is completely smooth, divide it into 6 wine glasses or 8 ramekins. Refrigerate until fully set; 4 to 6 hours.

How to Make Berry Sauce:

1. In a small sauce pan, combine 1 cup berries, 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice and 3 Tbsp sugar. Bring to a low boil and cook 4-5 min or until syrupy.
2. Stir in remaining 1 cup of fresh berries and remove from heat. When syrup is at room temp or just barely warm, spoon it over the top of chilled panna cottas.

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