Panna Cotta

I was in the mood for a rich creamy dessert, but didn’t have a lot of time to invest.  The kids had lots of homework and the afternoon chaos had started.  My kids love Creme Brûlée, but I wanted to try something different.  Panna Cotta translates to “cooked cream” in Italian.  If you can boil water, you can make Panna Cotta.

Ingredients:

1/2 a cup of milk (preferably organic)

2 packets of gelatin (approx. 2  1/2 teaspoons)

2 1/4 cups of heavy cream (this is where you should not skimp. Buy the best organic cream you can get)

1/2 cup of fine sugar

1 vanilla bean (I prefer Madagascar vanilla beans)

Tools:

2 small pots

measuring cup

small bowl

4-6 ramekins, depending on size

Add gelatin packet to a small bowl of water, about a 1/4 cup and let it soak

Pour 1/2 a cup of milk into small pan, bring just to simmering point and remove from heat

Drain the gelatin from the water and add to the milk

Pour the cream into another pan, add 1/2 cup sugar and the slit vanilla bean, bring to a boil, stir constantly

Remove pan from heat, remove vanilla bean and add the milk/gelatin mixture

fill your ramekins with the final mixture

Chill in the fridge for 4-6 hours. You can top it with fresh fruit, plain,  or as pictured here with shaved Valrhona chocolate.

The troops scraped the bowls clean!

Recap of the cooking instructions:

Fill a bowl with about 1/4 cup of water and add gelatin packet (approx. 2 1/2 teaspoons). Pour 1/2 cup of milk into a small pan or pot and bring just to the simmer point and remove from heat. Drain the gelatin and add to the milk. In the meantime, pour 2 1/4 cups of heavy cream into another pot, add 1/2 cup of sugar and the slit vanilla bean. Bring to a boil over low heat.  Make sure to stir constantly.  Once brought up to a boil, remove from heat immediately.  Remove the vanilla bean and add the milk/gelatin mixture.  Stir and fill your ramekins, then chill for 4-6 hours.  Top with fresh raspberries, blueberries, chocolate of just plain.  Enjoy!