Panna cotta is the world’s simplest dessert and it’s unmatched if we like the unique combination of cream and fruit.
Since the warm weather arrived, my children got completely hooked on confectionery shops and the ice creams and popsicles sold therein. Supplying five children with the sufficient amount of these refreshing sweets is quite a financial burden though. That’s why in the past one and a half weeks I have done little beside filling our freezer with home-made desserts, experimenting with all sorts of combinations – one thing I haven’t been able to do was to make enough of these.
I, on the other hand, started to get fed up with the frozen desserts and longed for something different. At the same time, our freezer could only hold so much of these popsicles, so I started thinking about alternative solutions – something that is still cooling doesn’t require subzero temperatures to make. It should be a light, fruity dessert, something that can be done in a snap and only needs to be cooled for a while afterwards.
The above description nicely fits the Italian Panna cotta, which literally translates to cooked cream. Cream is in fact one of its main ingredients, along with milk, sugar and fruit pulp. One of the things I really like about this dessert – beside the fact that it looks great – is that it can be easily varied. Fruit being one of its main ingredients, it can be adjusted to one’s taste and can be made with fresh fruit throughout the summer. Naturally, it can also be made from deep-frozen fruit, if one doesn’t want to give up this delicious dessert in the colder months.
Panna cotta with strawberry pulp
- 2⅓ tablespoons gelatine
- 8 tablespoons of cold water
- Creme:
- 3⅓ cups heavy creme
- 3⅓ cups milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons of vanilla extract (can be omitted)
- Strawberry pulp:
- 3,5 cups strawberry
- ⅝ cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons of water
- Pour the cold water on the gelatine and put it aside for 5-10 minutes.
- Pour the milk, the heavy cream and the sugar into a pot.
- Warm the mixture to a medium temperature till the sugar melts completely (Make
- sure not to boil it.)
- Take the mixture off the stove, put the vanilla extract into it and stir.
- Put it aside for five minutes.
- Add the gelatine and stir it till the gelatine dissolves.
- Put the mixture into 12 glasses/bowls.
- Put them into the fridge for a minimum of six hours (preferably for a whole night).
- In the meantime, prepare the strawberry pulp.
- Cut the washed and cleaned strawberries into small pieces.
- Put the fruit in a pot, add sugar and water.
- Heat it till it boils and take it off the stove right afterwards.
- Grind it with a hand blender or food processor.
- Filter it using a filter with small mesh size and store it in the fridge till it’s used.
- Take the solidified creme out of the fridge and divide the strawberry pulp between
- the glasses.
This is such a lovely dessert — I don’t think I’ve ever had it before! It would be perfect for a special summer dinner. – Trish
Hello,
Thanks for stopping by my blog.
You are right: it is a perfect dessert for a hot summer evening.
Have a nice day.
My mom made this once, and while it was delicious, it was not this pretty! I need to try your recipe!
Hello Lauren,
Thank you for stopping and your kind words.
It is quite easy to make this dessert pretty.
Have a wonderful day.
I’ve never actually tried panna cotta but it looks like a perfect summer treat, super refreshing!! I love how classy the final presentation looks too! 🙂
Hello,
Thanks for stopping by.
It is a must try recipe for a hot summer night. It is very refreshing and easy to make.
Have a wonderful day.