Approved by the 
Jump to recipe
Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
5 mins
Total Time:
5 hrs
Cal/Serv:
509
Similar to its relative cème brûlée, panna cotta is a dessert that looks insanely impressive, but really is surprisingly simple to create. Delicate and creamy, this no-bake dessert requires (and benefits) from a long refrigeration in order to set, which makes it the perfect make-ahead dessert to impress at any dinner party. Read on for all of our top tips on how to make this wow-worthy sweet treat:
What is panna cotta?
Panna cotta is a cream-based Italian dessert that is set with gelatin and flavored with vanilla. No baking is required—once the heated milk and cream is mixed with the gelatin and vanilla, the mixture is then poured into ramekins (or molds) and chilled until set. Often topped with fresh (or roasted) fruit or a berry sauce, it’s the perfect no-bake dessert to wow your dinner party with minimal effort.
The toppings for panna cotta.
Often served with a fresh fruit topping or a homemade berry sauce, the vanilla-lemon flavor of panna cotta goes beautifully with a bright and sweet topping. For the best of both worlds, we topped our panna cotta with a roasted fruit topping. Any of your favorite or in-season berries or cherries will work here. Roasting them makes the fruit even sweeter, and brings out a lot of their natural flavor.
Top tips for making the best panna cotta:
— Mold or unmold. Unmolding makes them look even more impressive, but they can also be made and served in a glass dish and be just as beautiful. To unmold them, it helps to dip the ramekins in hot water to help release the panna cotta from the sides and a warm offset spatula will help keep the sides smooth.
— Switch up the flavor. The vanilla beans can be replaced with other types of extract like almond or maple ,and other citrus can be used in place of the lemon peel.
— Make it ahead. These babies can sit in the fridge for up to 2 days to set, so they’re the perfect make-ahead dessert. The roasted fruit can also be made 2 days ahead of time, and spooned on top when ready to serve.
Have you made this yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Ingredients
For panna cotta
- 1 cup
whole milk
- 1
(0.25-oz.) envelope unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup
heavy cream
- 1/2 cup
granulated sugar
- 1
vanilla bean pod, split in half and seeds scraped out
Pinch of kosher salt
- 1
large strip of lemon peel
Cooking spray
For roasted fruit:
- 4 cups
mixed berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries (cut any large fruit in half)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp.
granulated sugar
- 2 tsp.
freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions
For panna cotta
- Step 1In a medium saucepan, add milk and sprinkle gelatin in an even layer over entire surface of milk. Let sit for 5 minutes to let gelatin bloom and soften.
- Step 2Place saucepan over medium heat and begin to whisk gelatin into milk until there are no lumps. Keep whisking occasionally for 2 to 3 minutes to make sure it is completely dissolved. Add cream, sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and a large pinch of salt. Continue whisking, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warmed through, about 5 minutes. It shouldn’t come to a boil, so lower the heat if the mixture is starting to get too warm. Remove from heat and add lemon peel. Let mixture cool for about 15 minutes and stir occasionally to help cool the mixture down and keep the mixture from separating.
- Step 3Spray four 6-ounce ramekins with a small amount of cooking spray and use a paper towel to wipe the spray around the bottom and edges of ramekins and wipe out any excess spray. You want a thin coating without any excess pooling in the ramekins. Remove lemon peel from cream mixture and give it one final good whisk. Pour mixture into a large glass measuring cup or other vessel with a spout. Divide mixture evenly between ramekins. Refrigerate until panna cotta is set, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
- Step 4When ready to serve, unmold panna cotta by filling a small bowl with hot water. Dip ramekins, without getting any water in the panna cotta itself, into the hot water for several seconds. Run an offset spatula under hot water, then wipe off with a towel. Run the hot spatula around the edge of the panna cotta, then invert onto the dish you want to serve on. It helps to wiggle to ramekin around a little bit and tap on the bottom to get the panna cotta to fall onto the plate.
- Step 5Serve with roasted fruit over top.
For roasted fruit
- Step 1Preheat oven to 400°. Place fruit into a 9”-x-13” baking pan. Sprinkle sugar and lemon juice on top and toss to combine.
- Step 2Roast in oven until fruit is soft and juicy, about 20 minutes. Stir fruit halfway through. Let cool down to room temperature before serving.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below