I love panna cotta, it is an Italian dessert and means "cooked cream." I am shocked at how easy it was to make panna cotta myself. You basically simmer cream and sugar and mix in gelatin. I made a basic Vanilla Panna Cotta and it was absolutely delicious. I adapted David Lebovitz's Perfect Panna Cotta recipe. My cousin Cathy (from Petite Therapy) is going to expect me to make this at the next family event when she's in town! I served the vanilla panna cotta with some sliced peaches and I cheated by using frozen
peaches from Whole Foods. I would ideally have added berries if I had
any but I didn't. The next day, I did try the vanilla panna cotta with a
spoonful of nutella on top and it was so good! Enjoy!
Vanilla Panna Cotta
Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 packet gelatin (about 2 ¼ teaspoons)
3 tablespoons cold water
Directions
In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
Lightly grease 4 custard cups or 2 larger ramekins.
In a bowl, add cold water and sprinkle the gelatin on
top. Let stand for 5 to 10
minutes.
Pour the warm panna cotta mixture over the gelatin and stir
until the gelatin is dissolved.
Divide the panna cotta mixture into the prepared cups or
ramekins.
Chill in refrigerator for 4 hours or until panna cotta is
firmly set. Feel free to chill overnight.
To unmold, run a knife around the edge of the panna cotta
and flip onto a plate.
Garnish with fresh fruit if desired.
Serves 2 to 4.
