Great desserts leave us wanting more and satisfied at the same time. It’s the rush of sweetness at the end of the courses and the smooth and savory aftertaste that leave us hanging over that wonderful piece of dessert. 

And when it comes to sweetness and savory, Panna Cotta is the choicest of the choices. 

For those of you looking for a dessert that’s easy to prepare and is particular to keep the class throughout the courses, Panna Cotta is the best option to go with. 

As with simple recipes, the secret is in the quality of the ingredients. Panna Cotta has only three ingredients, the cream itself, sugar, and gelatin. Of course, with a Veneta Cucine modular kitchen in your home, you can have a great time preparing this delicacy for that special occasion, or you know, just a fun day at home with the family.

So before we get on with the recipe, let’s take a closer look at the ingredients and the Italian way of delivering the best for the last for your meal. 

Cream: the Panna Fresca, or the whipped cream is supposed to be full fat. The fat gives you flavor which is why the cream should be so. However, if you are using a lower fat cream, add vanilla for the same result. 

Sugar: It’s more for the sweetness than the flavor. So make do with your preferred choice of sweetener as you please.

Gelatin: For the traditional Italian recipe, you’ll need the gelatin sheets called Colla di Pesce, made from fish bones. This again can be swapped for your preferred alternative, provided they give the same result while preparation. 

Panna Cotta – Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups unwhipped whipping cream
• 2 tbsp sugar ( sweeten to taste)
• 2 sheets of gelatin ( Colla di Pesce)

Instructions

Step 1: Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.

Step 2: Heat the cream with the sugar until it “breaks a steam”. Do not let it boil.

Step 3: Remove the gelatin sheets from the water when they feel like saran wrap, they won’t melt in the cold water.

Step 4: Add to the hot, sweetened cream and stir to melt.

Step 5: Pour into serving container(s).

Step 6: If you want to create the caramel mount, melt 4 tbsp of sugar in a pot, do not stir, but rather move the pot back and forth until the sugar caramelizes. Pour into the molds and let it chill before adding the hot cream.

Let it cool before placing it in the fridge, and once in the freezer, let it be overnight. To unmold, run a knife around the outside edge of the panna cotta and flip it onto the serving dish.

To please the artful connoisseur in you, serve with berries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries etc.