Panna Cotta

We kicked off our Kitchen Adventure yesterday as Brennan and I scoured the web for Panna Cotta recipes. What a great first recipe - it's a dessert so Brennan was all for it - and it's something I've been wanting to try.

Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert and it means "cooked cream" - gives you an idea right there about the calorie content! It's generally served with berries, but can have a caramel or chocolate sauce. It originates from Northern Italy so I'll have to try out the authentic one day.

I found some great recipes but ended up combining a few to come up with this version. We all loved it - with and without the strawberries. Brennan actually ate the berries which is rare for him. Must have been an incredible recipe.

Watch Outs - needs to be refrigerated overnight before serving (which is not that popular with a 7 year old who likes to eat his experiments right away).

1 Tbsp unflavored gelatin powder
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup honey
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 pint strawberries, sliced
2 Tbsp vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon
Pinches of salt and pepper

Mix the milk and gelatin in a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes while the gelatin dissolves. Transfer to a saucepan and heat for 5 minutes on low heat. Add the sugar, honey, cream, and pinches of salt and pepper to the milk mixture. Heat for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Pour into several ramekins and cool on the counter for 10 minutes or so. Refrigerate overnight.

1 hour before serving, slice the strawberries and add the vanilla, a pinch of salt and pepper. Let the berries soak.

When ready to serve, run a knife around the inside edge of the ramekins and turn upside down on a serving plate. Add the berries and lemon zest. Eat right away!

For all those who hated to see the Cocktail posts end, David has agreed to suggest a "nice cocktail" (as Brennan says) to go with the dish. To compliment the Panna Cotta, try a semi-sweet white wine like a Rhine - maybe a Riesling or a Gewurtztraminer.

If you try out Panna Cotta - let me know!