Blog #5

Today's dessert of the day is something I had the chance to try back in 2009 when I went on a Europe trip with my family. It's very satisfying, and refreshing, especially on a hot day in Italy, it's called Panna Cotta. Panna Cotta translates to "cooked cream". Panna Cotta is generally from the Northern area of Italy, and it was said to date back from a long time ago. Back then it was believed that the Italians had eaten cream and topped it off with hazelnuts or fruits as their dessert, but as time progressed it had turned into a gelatin topped with delicious toppings. And now eaten and well known all over Italy. It consists of milk, cream, sugar and gelatin, and topped off with berries, caramel, or chocolate. There are similar types of desserts like Panna Cotta, although they are found in different countries, like Greece, France, and Finland.

From my experience, making Panna Cotta wasn't the easiest for me to do, but then again making any type of jello dessert isn't easy for me. Although there are many skill levels of baking, and according to my family member, "...it's no impossible to make". I encourage all my readers to try to create this dessert, because it's just that delicious to eat!


Recipe for Panna Cotta:

4 cups (1l) heavy cream (or half-and-half)
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 packets powdered gelatin (about 4 1/2 teaspoons)
6 tablespoons (90ml) cold water

1. Heat the heavy cream and sugar in a saucepan or microwave. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

(If using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds from the bean into the cream and add the bean pod. Cover, and let infuse for 30 minutes. Remove the bean then rewarm the mixture before continuing.)

2. Lightly oil eight custard cups with a neutral-tasting oil.

3. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium-sized bowl and let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Pour the very warm Panna Cotta mixture over the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

5. Divide the Panna Cotta mixture into the prepared cups, then chill them until firm, which will take at least two hours but I let them stand at least four hours. (Judy told me American refrigerators are colder than European ones. )

If you’re pressed for time, pour the Panna Cotta mixture into wine goblets so you can serve them in the glasses, without unmolding.

6. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each Panna Cotta and unmold each onto a serving plate, and garnish as desired.

To make Panna Cotta with sheet gelatin: Soften 25g (approximately six sheets) in a liter of cold water for 5 to 10 minutes. Wring the sheets out and stir them into the warm Panna Cotta mixture in step # 4, until dissolved.

Recipe from: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/04/perfect-panna-cotta/

Citations:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panna_cotta