Panna Cotta

Panna Cota is about as simple a dessert as you can imagine to make. However, if you want fluted molds, instead of ramekins, you better start shopping early for them. We went to several stores and came up empty handed. We finally found fluted tin molds in an antique mall.

I made a Panna Cotta, based on a recipe I found on a Polish recipe blog, for New Year’s Eve dinner 2012. It was a Panna Cotta “lite” recipe and it proved to be a disaster. So today I made a second batch as follows. I didn’t include the vanilla extract because we plan to serve it with kinoto marmalade drizzled over the Panna Cotta.

1/4 cup cold milk
1 package gelatin (2.5 teaspoons)
2-1/4 cups of half and half (or heavy cream, if you don’t care about your waist line)
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract (optional)

Spray or lightly oil your mold or ramekins. Sprinkle the gelatin over the milk and allow to sit. It will soak up the milk and “bloom.” Meanwhile, heat the milk and sugar in a medium saucepan until it’s very hot. Remove it from heat right at the point it is about to boil.

Add the gelatin and whisk the liquid until it is completely dissolved in the milk. You can put the pan over a medium heat, as you whisk.

Pour the liquid into your ramekins or molds. Place into the refrigerator for about 2 hours to cool and set. Serve.