Italian Dessert: Panna Cotta

Panna cotta is the kind of dessert recipe that looks complicated but is actually so easy that you can make the base in less than 30 minutes.

pannacotta; A light Italian dessert made with very little granulated sugar, containing no carbohydrate group products, and flavored with vanilla beans. The milky dessert, which means "cooked cream" and has existed since the discovery of cream, takes its consistency from leaf gelatin and its calories from cream.

Panna cotta is a very simple pudding made from milk that has been thickened with gelatin. It originates in Italy and its name literally means "cooked cream", as early versions were sometimes made of thick cream thickened with fishbones.

Unlike creme brulee, this simple, elegant won't cook even in a freshwater bath—all you have to do is chill the mixture until it freezes and has a creamy, slightly rocking texture. Whether topped with fresh fruit or sweet fruit sauce, it's the perfect instant dessert to finish off a low-stress dinner party.

Panna cotta means "cooked cream" in Italian, and that's essentially the base—heated heavy cream (usually a little half-and-half or full-fat) mixed with gelatin powder and flavored with vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. The mixture is then poured into ramekins or small molds and cooled. Unflavored gelatin, which holds everything together and gives the dessert its smooth texture, is easy to find in any supermarket.

Flavored with a sweet taste of vanilla and milk, panna cotta is remarkably smooth and creamy, melts in the mouth, leaving no trace of grit or clumping.

You can eat it straight from a cup, but it's usually unmoulded on a plate and drizzled with sweet sauce and garnished with fruit. Best of all, you only need a handful of basic supplies to make it.

So, how is panna cotta made? If your ingredients are ready, we can move on to the Italian panna cotta recipe.

1 envelope unflavored gelatin (about 1 tablespoon)

2 tablespoons of cold water

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup half and half

⅓ cup sugar

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

In a very small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over the water and let it sit for about 1 minute to soften. Heat the gelatin mixture over low heat until the gelatin melts and remove the pan from the heat.

In a large saucepan, bring the cream, half-and-half and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture and vanilla. Divide the cream mixture into eight ½-cup ramekin and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight with the containers closed.

Dip one at a time into a bowl of hot water for 3 seconds. Run a thin knife around the edge of each mold and invert the mold in the center of a small plate.

Note: In the original recipe of panna cotta dessert, which is made using plenty of cream and milk, gelatin is used as a thickener. Although starch is used to thicken some recipes, we recommend that you stick to the original. Therefore, you should definitely prepare panna cotta recipes with gelatin.