Italy · Desserts
Panna cotta.
Silky vanilla cream with a gentle wobble and a fresh berry sauce. Elegant, and it takes 15 minutes of work.
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The story of panna cotta.
Panna cotta means “cooked cream” and comes from Piedmont, in northwestern Italy, a land of dairy farms. It is a simple dessert: cream, sugar and vanilla, set with a little gelatin.
It became famous worldwide in the 1990s, when it started appearing on restaurant menus everywhere. The perfect panna cotta should just hold its shape and wobble on the plate.
Origin: Piedmont, Italy
Tips for the perfect wobble.
- Gelatin: one envelope of unflavored powdered gelatin is the right amount.
- Cream: heavy cream, or a mix of cream and whole milk for a lighter version.
- Vanilla: a real vanilla bean makes a difference.
Three steps. That’s it.
What each stage should look like.
Step 1
Bloom the gelatin.
Sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let it soften.
Step 2
Warm the cream.
Heat cream, sugar and vanilla, then dissolve the gelatin in it.
Step 3
Chill and unmold.
Pour into ramekins, chill until set, then unmold and add the sauce.
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Recipe
Panna cotta.
Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min · Total 25 min + 6 h chilling
Ingredients
- unflavored powdered gelatin
- cold water
- heavy cream (or 2 cups cream + 1 cup whole milk)
- granulated sugar
- vanilla bean, split (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
- mixed berries, for the sauce
- sugar, for the sauce
- lemon juice
Instructions
- Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let it soften for 5 minutes.
- In a saucepan, heat the cream, sugar and vanilla bean (scrape in the seeds) until steaming. Do not let it boil.
- Off the heat, add the softened gelatin and stir until fully dissolved. Remove the vanilla pod and strain.
- Pour into 6 lightly oiled ramekins or glasses. Cool, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
- For the sauce, cook the berries with the sugar and lemon for 5 minutes until syrupy. Cool.
- To unmold, dip each ramekin in hot water for 5 seconds, run a knife around the edge and turn onto a plate. Spoon over the berry sauce.
Sources consulted: Gambero Rosso. Our own text, with US and metric measurements.
What you’ll need.
Ramekins or dessert glasses.
6 of about 5 oz (150 ml).
Fine sieve.
For a perfectly smooth cream.
Small saucepan.
For the berry sauce.
