Panna Cotta Recipe
This easy panna cotta is a silky vanilla custard set with a little gelatin and served cold. My recipe has no eggs, no baking, and no torching, just about 15 minutes of hands-on work before the fridge does the rest. I serve mine with fresh fruit and a spoonful of berry sauce, I can assure you that it tastes just like a restaurant-quality dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk, plus 3 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus 3 tablespoons
- 1 vanilla pod, sliced in half longways
- 7 grams gelatin powder, or 1 .25 ounce packet
Instructions
- Add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, ½ cup of milk, sugar, and the sliced in half vanilla pod and add it to a small to medium-sized sauce pot and cook over low to medium heat. Constantly whisk it until the sugar is dissolved and the milk is scalded.
- Remove from the heat and take out the vanilla pod halves. Scrape the vanilla beans from the pod and add them back to the milk and whisk it until combined.
- Strain the mixture through a chinois or fine mesh strainer into a pourable container.
- Whisk in the remaining 1 cup of cold cream to help bring down the temperature even more. Place it in the refrigerator.
- In the meantime, add the 3 tablespoons of remaining milk to a small microwave safe bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over top while gently mixing to ensure it is absorbed. Let stand to bloom the gelatin for 5 minutes.
- Next, add the bowl to a microwave and heat for 10 seconds. Remove and whisk until the gelatin is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. You may need to do another 5 second microwave burst to achieve this.
- Pour the mixture into the sugary vanilla cream mixture and whisk until completely combined. Return to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
- Once chilled, divide the mixture between six 2-ounce ramekins or serving jars. I like to serve it right in the jars, but if you’d like to take it out of the jar, be sure to grease of the jar first.
- Place in the refrigerator until it is completely set for at least 6 hours.
- Remove and serve as is or invert onto a serving plate while gently knocking the bottom of the jar to loosen it.
- Serve with fresh fruit or a raspberry coulis or strawberry sauce. See how I serve it up in my video below.
Notes
You only get one shot to season panna cotta, and that is before it ever gets in the fridge. Once the gelatin sets there is no stirring in more sugar or vanilla, so I recommend to taste the warm cream and make sure it is sweeter and more vanilla-forward than you think it needs to be.
Strain the base before it sets: I pour the scalded cream through a fine-mesh strainer or chinois to catch the empty pod and any stray bits. That one pass is the difference between a silky spoonful and a grainy one.
Dissolve the gelatin all the way: Undissolved gelatin is what gives you a grainy or rubbery texture, so I bloom it in the milk first, melt it fully in the microwave, and whisk it smooth before it goes into the cream.
Do not overheat the gelatin: I melt the bloomed gelatin in short bursts just until it is smooth, and I never let it boil. Boiling weakens gelatin's setting power, and you can end up with a base that never firms up no matter how long it chills.
Give it the full 6 hours: If you want to invert the panna cotta out of the jar, it needs at least 6 hours to set firm. Anything less and it will slump the second it hits the plate, so I serve those straight from the jar with a spoon.
Grease the jars if you plan to invert them: I rub a thin film of neutral oil inside each ramekin or jar, and that is the difference between the panna cotta sliding out in one piece and it clinging to the sides.
Make-Ahead: I make panna cotta up to 2 days before I need it, which is one of the reasons it is my favorite dessert for hosting. Cover each one once it is set so it does not pick up any fridge odors.
How to Store: I keep them covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and the texture holds the whole time.
How to Reheat: I never reheat panna cotta, since it is served cold straight from the fridge.
How to Freeze: I do not freeze these if I want them creamy, because they slump and weep once they thaw. If you want to have fun with it, freeze them solid and eat them frozen, and you basically have vanilla ice cream.
Nutrition
Calories: 348kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 3gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 29mgPotassium: 106mgSugar: 20gVitamin A: 1199IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 0.1mg