Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta Introduction

Panna Cotta is a milk pudding originating from Italy. It has a smooth texture and melts in your mouth with a gentle shake, releasing its creamy aroma. Simple yet elegant, it's perfect for evening parties and can be easily prepared a week in advance, requiring only 10 minutes of proactive preparation time!

Features of Panna Cotta

Easy to Make: Uses only 5 basic ingredients (milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, and gelatin), requiring almost no cooking.

Prepare in Advance: Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to a week.

Diverse Flavors: Chefs can adjust the flavor, ingredients, and garnishes to their personal taste.

Ingredients:

Gelatin powder: 2 1/2 teaspoons (unflavored), reduce to 2 1/4 teaspoons if not unmolding

Milk: 1 1/2 cups (whole milk)

Butter: 1 1/4 cups (heavy cream)

Sugar: 1/4 cup (fine sugar)

Salt: A pinch

Vanilla: 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or 1 vanilla bean, or vanilla extract)

Oil spray: Neutral flavor (such as canola oil)

Instructions:

Prepare the gelatin:

In a small saucepan, sprinkle 1/2 cup of cold milk with the gelatin powder, stir well, and let stand for 5 minutes to allow it to expand.

Melt the gelatin:

Heat the saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the gelatin melts and the milk is a lump-free liquid. Do not allow the milk to boil.

Dissolve the sugar:

Add the remaining milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt, and gently heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes to extract the vanilla flavor.

Add Cream: Whisk in the cold cream and pour the mixture into a large pitcher or bowl (preferably clear so you can check if the vanilla seeds have sunk).

Cool the Mixture: Refrigerate for 1 hour, stirring at 30 and 45 minutes to ensure the mixture doesn't start to solidify.

Prepare the Mold: Lightly spray the mold with neutral oil and wipe off any excess with paper towels. Pour the mixture into the mold.

Refrigerate to Set: Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. If serving in cups, 4 hours is sufficient.

Unmold: Remove from the refrigerator, run a knife around the edge, invert onto a plate, and shake firmly to release the mixture.

Garnish Suggestions: Raspberry Jam: As shown in the picture, garnish with pistachios, fresh raspberries, and mint leaves.

Other Creative Options: Sliced ​​berries, chocolate chips, fruit jam, marshmallows, edible flowers, dried rose petals, nuts, caramel popcorn, etc.

Tips

Gelatin Use: Use regular gelatin powder; avoid using specialty gelatin sold in the health food section.

Milk and Cream: Whole milk and cream provide the best texture; low-fat products will affect the consistency.

Vanilla Options: Vanilla bean paste works best; vanilla extract and vanilla pods are also good choices.

Mold Selection: Taller molds work better than flat, round molds.

Nutritional Information (per serving, excluding ingredients):

Calories: 253 kcal

Carbohydrates: 13g

Protein: 5g

Fat: 21g

Saturated Fat: 13g

Cholesterol: 63mg

Sodium: 46mg

Potassium: 139mg

Sugar: 13g

Vitamin A: 828 IU

Vitamin C: 0.3mg

Calcium: 109mg

Iron: 0.1mg

This panna cotta is not only easy to make but also incredibly flavorful and visually appealing, making it ideal for family gatherings and dinner parties. Hope you enjoy this recipe!