Panna cotta is the Italian dessert that most reliably surprises people who have not made it before. You heat cream with sugar and vanilla, you dissolve gelatin in it, you pour it into molds and refrigerate it. That is the whole recipe. What comes out looks like it required considerably more than fifteen minutes of actual work.
This is the Piedmontese original: vanilla, cream, gelatin in the right proportion to set firmly enough to unmold but softly enough to tremble on the plate. Commercial versions use more gelatin to get a stable product. We use less because the texture is what makes it.
We serve it with a warm apricot coulis made from our Pugliese preserve. It is a clean, bright contrast to the cream, and it comes together in five minutes while the panna cotta chills.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Soak the gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes until fully softened.
Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife. Combine the cream, powdered sugar, vanilla seeds, and vanilla pod in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until the cream just begins to simmer at the edges. Do not let it boil.
Remove from heat. Lift the gelatin sheets from the water, squeeze out the excess liquid firmly, and whisk them into the hot cream until completely dissolved.
Strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a jug, discarding the vanilla pod. Divide evenly among six 100ml silicone molds or lightly oiled ramekins.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until firmly set. The panna cotta should be solid enough to hold its shape but should tremble when the mold is gently shaken.
When ready to serve, make the coulis: combine the Gusta Apricot Preserve and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the preserve loosens into a smooth, pourable sauce. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Unmold each panna cotta by briefly dipping the base of the mold in hot water for 3 seconds. Run a thin knife around the edge if needed, then invert onto a chilled plate.
Spoon the apricot coulis over each panna cotta and serve immediately.
You made Panna Cotta. Time to eat.
A new recipe in your inbox each month. No noise.
The gelatin ratio here is intentional: enough to hold the shape when unmolded, not enough to produce the bouncy texture of commercial versions. It should tremble on the plate.
Each Gusta product is hand-selected and imported direct from Italy. Add what you need, or grab the whole set in one click.
1 item in stock $20.97
Six Italian regions. Nothing reformulated. Imported direct.
No comments yet. Be the first.