But once I got there and had a taste, I made up for lost time. I became the Queen of Panna Cotta in my dorm. I made it for all my friends. I played around with flavours: pumpkin panna cotta for fall, pomegranate panna cotta topped with freshly whipped cream, green tea panna cotta topped with delicate slivers of sugared ginger. I would do it in batches and serve individual helpings in shot glasses (because hey, I was in college).
So when I started thinking of a dessert for my family's upcoming Easter lunch, my mind naturally ran towards this lovely, light little finisher. Here's the recipe for the basic vanilla version - though I use real vanilla beans here to dress things up a little. I top it with sugared raspberries, which make a beautiful presentation with the pure white custard. Here's hoping even my Southern relatives will find something to like!
Panna Cotta
1/4 cup water
3 1/2 tsp powdered gelatin
3 1/4 cups heavy or whipping cream
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 whole vanilla beans
2 piece lemon rind
Raspberries (The exact amount will depend on how many servings you're making. I usually buy two small cartons worth.)
2 tbsp additional confectioners sugar
Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle in the powdered gelatin. Stir it, and set it aside to thicken for five or so minutes. While the gelatin is gelling, use a sharp knife to split the vanilla beans in half down the middle and scrape out the seeds. Place both seeds and beans into a medium saucepan with the cream, sugar, and lemon rind. Simmer over medium heat for five or so minutes, stirring gently and making sure that the cream doesn't stick. The goal here is a sort of low, even simmer.
When the cream has thickened a little, add in the gelatin mixture and continue at a medium simmer, stirring constantly, for another three or so minutes. The gelatin should be completely dissolved by this stage.
Strain the cream-gelatin mixture through a very fine mesh, and fish out the lemon rind and vanilla beans. Those can be discarded. Pour the mixture through cheesecloth into panna cotta molds, or if you're like me and too poor or lazy to buy panna cotta molds, into whatever pretty container you intend to serve from. I like shot glasses, but small teacups or martini glasses are also pretty.
Refrigerate your panna cotta. How long the refrigeration needs to last varies depending on the size of the containers you're serving from, but a good rule of thumb is at least four hours. Overnight is okay, and will make your prep time less hectic the next day. So fridge it and forget it for a while.
About an hour before you intend to serve the panna cotta, get out your raspberries and rinse them very gently. Pat them dry, then toss them in the extra confectioners sugar and pop them in the fridge. This will encourage the juices to swell, making them plump and shiny. It will also make them fragile, so be a little careful when handling sugared raspberries.
To serve, grab the panna cotta from the fridge. If you're making them with molds, try dipping the bottom and sides of the molds into a hot water bath for a few seconds to loosen the panna cotta. Run a knife around the edges if necessary (avoid this if possible, it will usually mess up the presentation). Then, tip the panna cotta out of molds and onto the plates on which you will serve. If, like me, you usually serve out of glassware (I've graduated from shot glasses to pretty cut-glass cups), you can skip that step. Either way, top each individual serving with a few sugared raspberries to finish the presentation. A mint leaf is also pretty if you're really feeling snazzy that day.
Servings: Depends on the size of your containers. It makes 30 fl oz, or between fifteen and eighteen shot glasses worth, so take that as you will.
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