Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta With Berries... Recipe
In my next life I'm going to be Ina Garten...live in a beautiful house, shop in Montauk, invite turtle-neck-wearing architects over for lunch and have a husband who only appears for dessert with a smile. In the mean time, thanks to Ina's cookbooks, I can pretend to be her and whip up delicious desserts that make the mister say, "Yeah, it's good...whaddya want me to do a dance or something?" That was in response to me asking him how he liked his panna cotta...and yes, I would have liked a dance.
Panna Cotta is a Northern Italian dessert - and it means cooked cream. Translated another way it means Heaven in a spoonful. This is not the first time I've made panna cotta...it's a regular on the menu around here...and it's not the first time I've posted about it either...this used to be my go-to recipe for panna cotta...and while it's very good and I like it a lot, Ina's recipe is creamier and easier. So from now on, when I want a taste of Italy, this will be the recipe I use. Italy is still in the cards...yes, yes, our dreams of going this spring were dashed thanks to a crises or two...but now we're definitely going in October. Definitely. The Fashionista and her daughter just returned from Italy and not only did she bring me a lovely gift, she also gave me her pile of guide/travel books on Italy. And another friend loaned me her books on Italy that she picked up over 25 years ago...filled with pictures of art...and a few strategically placed stickers...
Gee...whatever could be behind that apple?!? Every night I flip through the guide books and dream about Italy...so it should come as no shock to you that every day I have to fight the urge to make pasta and marinara...I remind myself that flying for 18 hours with 32-inches of leg-room will be even MORE uncomfortable if I cannot fit in the seat! Usually that's enough to stop me...but who, I ask, WHO, has the will power to say no to panna cotta?!?
This is a fool-proof recipe and makes 8 servings. But you have to start a day ahead because it needs to refrigerate overnight...which makes it the perfect dessert for a dinner party...no last minute fuss, just pour on some berries and wait for the applause.
- Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta With Berries ~ Adapted From Ian Garten
- 2 teaspoons (1 packet) unflavored gelatin powder
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt (do not use the low-fat stuff!)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
- 3/4 cup sugar
- For the Topping:
- 1 pint blackberries or blueberries
- 2 pints strawberries or raspberries
- 1 tablespoon sugar
In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on three tablespoons of cold water. Stir and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the gelatin to dissolve. Meanwhile, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the cream, the yogurt, the vanilla, and the vanilla bean seeds. Heat the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream and the sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Off the heat, ad the softened gelatin to the hot cream and stir to dissolve. Pour the hot cream/gelatin mixture into the cream/yogurt mixture and stir to combine. Pour into eight serving dishes (custard cups or ramekins) and refrigerate uncovered until cold. When the panna cottas are thoroughly chilled, cover with plastic wrap and allow to set overnight. Right before serving prepare the berries. In a medium bowl, combine all but 8 of the blackberries, (reserving one whole blackberry for each serving dish) and all but 8 of the strawberries (reserving one whole strawberry for each serving dish). Sprinkle berries with sugar and using a masher, slightly mash the berries to bring out a bit of the juice. Spoon berries and some juice over the top of each serving dish. Garnish with the remaining whole berries. (If using ramekins, run a small knife around each dessert and dip the bottom of each ramekin quickly in a bowl of hot tap water. Unmold each ramekin upside down onto a dessert plate.) Serves 8.
"A friend doesn't go on a diet because you are fat." ~ Erma Bombeck