Honeyed Panna Cotta

Last night I made Panna Cotta as a welcome home dessert for Steve. He loved it so much I almost had to organize an intervention to get him to put the spoon down. He literally licked the bowl. Panna Cotta is an elegant Italian custard with a smooth creamy texture. Don’t be intimidated. Panna Cotta  is just a fancy word for a dessert that is actually quite simple to make. Aren’t some of the most elegant things some of the simplest?

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Honeyed Panna Cotta

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cooling time: 2 hours

Things you’ll need to get the job done:
Sauce Pan
Spoon
Liquid Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
Dessert Dishes (Parfait Cups, Martini Glasses, Mini Trifle Bowls)
Paper Towels

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Tablespoon Gelatin
1  and 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 and 1/2 Table Spoon Honey
1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla
Pinch Salt

To start, pour the milk into your sauce pan and add the gelatin. Gently stir the gelatin and milk together and turn the heat on low. Warming the milk will help the gelatin dissolve. Once the gelatin has dissolved, add the heavy whipping cream, sugar, honey, vanilla and salt. Turn the temperature on the stove up to medium. Continue to gently stir the mixture as you bring it to a boil. Stirring quickly and vigorously will incorporate air bubbles into the dessert, and this dessert has a much better texture if you avoid the bubbles. Allow the mixture to boil for one minute, and then remove the sauce pan from the heat. Continue to stir the mixture (gently of course) for just a few minutes as the mixture begins to cool. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Once the mixture has reached room temperature, divide it evenly into 6 dessert dishes. If you don’t have dessert dishes, a glass 6×8 baking dish will work too. Place the desserts into the refrigerator and place paper towels across the top. You can use plastic wrap if you prefer, but if the condensation falls from the plastic wrap into the dessert it leaves funny little craters. Allow the dessert to chill and set for two hours. Just before serving, garnish with fresh fruit, chocolate shavings, mint leaves, raspberry sauce, whatever moves you. Last night I used blackberries and raspberries.

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See that wasn’t so hard was it? You will look very impressive at your next dinner party. Plus, it’s gluten free! A huge bonus in our household.

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