A couple of years ago, my husband and I went out to eat for our anniversary. The meal was excellent, and it was the first time I had panna cotta. It was a vanilla panna cotta with a blueberry coulis. I thought "Panna cotta is so fancy!" Of course we could only have it on our anniversary, at a nice restaurant! I mean, where else would someone get it? At home?
Yes.
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| Look at my new prep bowl! It's the one holding the strawberries. Hi! Prep bowl! |
Panna cotta, Italian for "cooked cream", is so simple to make that I feel like an idiot for not trying it sooner. According to this article on The Kitchn, it is the perfect dessert. I can't say they're wrong. It's easy to make, easy to adjust to your desires, requires few ingredients, demands little of your time or attention, it feels luxurious while you're eating it, and is freakin' delicious!
Now, usually I make vanilla panna cotta, throw some fresh fruit on it, and call myself a fancy lady; but my cousin came to visit last week. I was feeling like a big shot and offered her the choice of vanilla or chocolate panna cotta (as if I had ever made chocolate). She, unknowingly, called my bluff and asked for chocolate. I had a mini-panic attack, but I'm sure I covered it well with my crazy-eyed stare. Then I thought, "Ha! You probably just throw some cocoa powder in the cream." I always have cocoa powder (you know, for the cocoa powder fairy) and was again feeling smug.
You do not "just throw some cocoa powder in the cream." But, the process was still simple.
That night, for dessert, I made both chocolate and vanilla panna cotta (If I messed up the chocolate, I still wanted dessert. I'm impulsive, not insane.). The vanilla was, as usual, perfect. The chocolate was...gritty. My cousin liked it, but I could not let this injustice stand. Not only would I get the chocolate recipe right, but I wanted to layer them in one serving glass.
The first thing I did was choose a new chocolate recipe. I halved this recipe from William-Sonoma. I don't have ramekins (someone says I don't need any). I have these beauties:
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| Why I have a ton of glassware for alcohol I don't drink is a mystery to me too. |
They don't hold as much as a ramekin might, but that's okay. If you don't have ramekins do not let that stop you from making panna cotta. If you do, I will make fun of you. Loudly. In front of your mom.
I chose to make the chocolate first because it would be my bottom layer in the glass.
Chocolate Panna Cotta from the Willam-Sonoma website
*Remember, I halved the recipe. My measurements are in red.)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 (3/4) cups heavy cream
- 1 1/4 (5/8) tsp. plain gelatin
- 1/4 (1/8) cup mascarpone cheese or additional heavy cream I used additional heavy cream.
- 2 (1) Tbs. sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 (1) oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped I chopped up semisweet chocolate chips. A very zen experience. I highly recommend it.
2. Pour 1/4 (1/8) cup of the cream into a small heatproof bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over it and let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. Place the bowl in a larger bowl of hot water and stir until the gelatin has dissolved.
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| You want it to look like wet wrinkled sand. Wet Wrinkled Sand is also the name of my new emo/folk band so don't steal it. |
3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, bring the remaining 1 1/4 (5/8) cups cream, the mascarpone, sugar and salt just to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate and whisk until smooth. This is where I went wrong the first time. I didn't whisk enough. Whisk until it the chocolate is completely blended in. Otherwise your panna cotta will be gritty.
4. Add the gelatin mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until well blended. Pour through a fine strainer into a 4-cup glass measuring cup or a bowl with a pour spout. Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins and let cool to room temperature. Don't skip the strainer. I put strawberries at the bottom of the glasses, but as the mixture is liquid it didn't quite come out looking how I would have wanted.
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| Eh...not quite what I was going for. Also, I don't know where I got a Stolichnaya martini glass. Probably the cocoa fairy. |
5. Cover the panna cotta loosely and refrigerate until set and thoroughly chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 1 day.
6. To serve, dip the ramekins one at a time into a bowl of hot water for about 5 seconds, then run a table knife around the edges of the custard and invert onto a chilled serving plate. This wasn't really an issue for me because of how I planned to serve it and because I would be layering some of the glasses.
Here is where common sense should have stepped in and told me to wait at least an hour before I started the next, but I was watching a Korean drama (I love them!) and not paying enough attention to the time. I only waited about 10-15 minutes before I started on the vanilla panna cotta. Why is this a problem? You'll see...
Panna Cotta - How to Make Panna Cotta from the Whats Cooking America website
* This is the recipe I always use when making vanilla panna cotta. I also halved this recipe. My measurements are in red.*
Ingredients
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (approx. 2 (1) teaspoons)
1/2 (1/4) cup milk
2 1/2 (1 1/4) cups heavy cream*
1/2 (1/4) cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean or 2 (1) teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup fresh berries, gently washed, drained, and sweetened to taste**
6 sprigs fresh mint I omited the mint.
* Half & half, buttermilk, whole milk, and/or sour cream may be substituted for part of the cream.
** Any assortment of fresh, seasonal fruit may be served with panna cotta, but berries are especially nice. To use other ripe, soft fruits, such as cherries, peaches or apricots, just remove the stones and peels as necessary and cut them into thin slices or bite-size pieces.
1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 (1/4) cup milk; let stand until the gelatin is softened, about 5 minutes.
2. In a large saucepan, combine heavy cream and sugar. Add vanilla extract or vanilla bean. If using a vanilla bean, slice the bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds into cream (add whole bean to cream for additional flavor). Bring cream just to a simmer (do not let it boil), whisking occasionally until sugar has completely dissolved; remove from heat and remove vanilla bean pod.
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| TAKE IT OFF THE BURNER! If you don't, you're still cooking it. |
3. Add the softened gelatin mixture and whisk to completely dissolve the gelatin.
4. Strain hot cream mixture into a large glass measuring cup with a pouring spout; pour into ramekins or custard cups. NOTE: Don't skip the straining step as it removes any bits of un-dissolved gelatin and insures a nice smooth dessert. Also, don't let the cream mixture cool before straining. If using a vanilla bean, lightly swirl the cream to distribute the seeds evenly.
5. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
6. To unmold and serve, carefully dip bottom of each ramekin in a baking pan of hot water briefly. Run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin to loosen it from the inside of the bowl. Wipe the outside of the mold dry and place on individual chilled serving plate (topside down). Invert the custard onto the plate and carefully lift off ramekin (shake gently to release).
Why should I have waited longer? Because the chocolate panna cotta hadn't had enough to time to solidify and I got a bit of a marbled top.
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| Eh...not quite what I was going for. |
Did that change the taste? A little. But, it was still good! The chocolate was smooth this time! It was like a more firm, silky chocolate pudding. The two flavors worked well together. Let me know in the comments how yours turns out.
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