I feel compelled to start with an apology for my lack of baking activity this past week. I’ve been meaning to get back into the kitchen, but I really needed to recover from my Dulce de Leche Cheesecake bake-a-thon two Saturdays ago. Cheesecakes are THAT draining (ok not really, but for purposes of dramatization let’s just blame it on the cheesecake). The good news is I’m back now, and this time, I’m sticking to my roots - EEEAAAASY RECIPES.
Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce
This recipe is one of my niece’s favorites. I’ve been promising to share it on Bella Baking, but I hadn’t gotten around to it until now. It’s as basic as you can possibly get with a recipe and the outcome is deliciously creamy. It’s perfect for entertaining too. It’ll take you a total of 15 minutes to make (sauce included) and you can make it one or two days in advance. Just pop it in the fridge and forget you were ever responsible for dessert until it’s time to wow your guests. And wow you will with this beautifully simple, fancy-sounding sweet.
Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce AND fresh berries
What I love about this Panna Cotta is that it’s so pure – and the flavors so neutral – that it pairs perfectly with whatever topping you want to add. Fresh berries, pomegranate sauce, passion fruit syrup, guava drizzle, blood orange glaze or Blueberry Sauce (like I’ve done here), are all great options. Or you can just eat it plain. The texture is a ‘melt in your mouth’ type of silky cream that’s almost reminiscent of a vanilla bean mousse – only slightly lighter. Yum.
Blueberry drizzle is a perfect partner to the silky cream
Bottom-line: you’ll enjoy the simplicity of making this and you’ll definitely enjoy eating it too.
Berries at market looked so yummy I decided to throw these on top of the Panna Cotta too!
Happy Panna Cotting! (a new word to add to your dictionary)
Ingredients
Panna Cotta:
~ 1 cup whole milk
~ 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
~ 3 cups whipping cream
~ 1/3 cup honey
~ 1 tablespoon sugar
~ Pinch salt
Fresh Blueberry Sauce:
~ 1 pound fresh or frozen blueberries
~ 4 (1/2 inch wide) strips lemon peel
~ 1/3 cup granulated sugar
~ 1/2 cup water
~ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
~ 1 tablespoon water
Directions
Panna Cotta
Place the milk in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. Pour milk mixture into a heavy sauce pan and stir over medium heat just until the gelatin dissolves but the milk does not boil, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, honey, sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour into 6 glass containers of your choice (e.g., wine glasses, dessert cups, etc.) so that they are 1/2 full. Cool slightly. Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours. You can either turn them out onto a dish like I’ve done here or serve them in their glass containers topped with the blueberry sauce and berries if you choose. (Yield: 6 servings)
Panna Cotta in glass containers before they were turned out
Fresh Blueberry Sauce
Combine blueberries, lemon peel, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring berry mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on solids to release as much liquid as possible. Discard solids and return sauce to a clean saucepan. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water, stirring until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the blueberry sauce, stirring until the sauce comes to a boil. Allow to boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool sauce to room temperature. (Yield: 1 1/4 cups)
To serve, drizzle over Panna Cotta.
