We love make-ahead desserts, and among easy, delicious, elegant make-ahead desserts, panna cotta reigns supreme. And yet we find that it's not as well-known as it should be. Why? Is there an impression of difficulty? If so, let us banish that immediately. Panna cotta is perhaps the easiest dessert we know. Read on, and allow us to lecture you further on the delights of this gelled Italian pudding.
Recipe: Rosewater Yogurt Panna Cotta with Blueberries
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What is panna cotta? It literally means "cooked cream" and that's really all it is. It's cooked cream (or yogurt) thickened and sweetened and chilled in the fridge.
Panna cotta is a pudding that, unlike traditional custards, has no eggs. It also has no flour, so it's completely gluten-free. It does usually include gelatin, though, so if you are vegetarian you'll have to find a substitute like agar agar.
But it's a snap to make — adaptable to any size of crowd, easily made ahead, and elegantly served in little cups, glasses, tumblers, ramekins, martini glasses — heck, even soup bowls if you're really a fan. It can be cooked up in just about five minutes then put into the fridge to chill.
Convinced yet? If not, let's talk about how it tastes. Without the flavor of eggs, panna cotta is the purest vehicle for really good cream, milk, or yogurt. It's light and creamy with all the sweetness of fresh cream and good vanilla or other flavorings. It's light on the tongue yet not as rich (or melty) as ice cream. It pairs perfectly with summer fruit: strawberries, blueberries, peaches and apricots.
This particular recipe we're about to share is a yogurt panna cotta, which gives it an extra tang, and also lessens (somewhat) the caloric weight. We added just a taste (a tiny taste) of rosewater for a faint, elusive scent of roses that enhances the yogurt's refreshing tang without overpowering. We added blueberries for a final touch of tannic sweetness. And again (are you tired of this yet?) it took us about four and a half minutes to put this whole little dessert together.
Panna cotta — it's the best elegant summer dessert we know. Give it a try!
Rosewater Yogurt Panna Cotta with Blueberries
4 servings
2 tablespoons water
1 1/4 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 3/4 cups cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup whole-milk yogurt
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon rosewater
1 cup blueberries, divided
Mint leaves, to garnish
Sprinkle the gelatin over the two tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Let sit to soften.
Put the cream in a small saucepan with the sugar over medium heat and heat until bubbles form around the edges. Whisk until all the sugar is dissolved. Take off the heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture until completely dissolved. Whisk in the yogurt, salt, and rosewater.
Rinse the blueberries and pick out any stems or bad berries. Pat dry. Divide about half of the berries between 4 6-8 ounce cups or bowls. Fill each one partway with the berries. Pour the warm panna cotta mixture over the berries and refrigerate. Chill until set — about 2-4 hours, depending on the size and depth of the cups.
When ready to serve, divide the remainder of the berries between the cups, piling them on top of the set custard. Garnish with a mint leaf and serve with coffee, fresh mint tea, or dessert wine.
Related: Recipe: Honey Lavender Panna Cotta
(Images: Faith Durand)
Comments (15)
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I just made Panna Cotta for the first time this weekend. I couldn't agree more...it's one of the easiest, fancy looking desserts. I made a vanilla Panna Cotta and topped it with Strawberry Coulis and shaved chocolate. YUM!
view goodLife{eats}'s profile
Oh, my goodness. That looks so good! *plots dessert for tonight* Everything she says is true; panna cotta is ultra fast and ultra good.
You know, I've eaten and worked in some of the best restaurants in the nation, I've gotten my Associate's of Baking and Pastry Arts and made some ridiculously elaborate confections in my time, and to this day, one of the best desserts I've ever had was a blueberry-lemon panna cotta, at Gautreau's in New Orleans. Maybe the circumstances had much to do with that honor (last fine meal before Katrina); but still, I remember that as one of my fondest food memories - that gorgeous little panna cotta. I absolutely adore the perfect creamy coolness of a good panna cotta. (Oh, and blueberries are one of my favorite things, so that didn't hurt either.)
Thanks for the memory and the smile this afternoon!
http://www.abreadaday.com
view eprewitt's profile
I also just made my first panna cotta this weekend--it was so easy and turned out so great that I couldn't believe I had never made it before! I immediately told everyone I knew about how sophisticated-yet-simple it is, and I now believe it to be the perfect dessert.
You can read about my (successful) attempt on my blog, which, believe it or not, the panna cotta inspired me to start: http://chompsky.wordpress.com
view bixology's profile
This looks divine. Where does one procure rosewater? I've never come across a recipe that calls for it before.
view Sofistafunk's profile
those aren't blueberries but european bilberries... both are delicious :)
view plch's profile
Just curious...how far ahead can you make this? 24-hours?
I'd love to find a good dinner party dessert that I can make in the morning--or even the night before.
view moema's profile
@Sofistafunk, you can find rosewater (and orange blossom water, which I also like) at Mediterranean and Indian groceries. @plch - No, they are blueberries from Trader Joe's; perhaps the two are quite similar in appearance?
And @moema, I've made this a couple days in advance, but you just want to be sure, if you're making it that far ahead, to cover the surface of the panna cotta with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out and form a skin.
view faith's profile
Sofistafunk - I found rosewater in the wine section (with the accessories and mixers) at my Central Market. Can probably find it in a liquor or other upscale-ish grocery store.
view ashleym (aka autzve on flickr)'s profile
I wonder if panna cotta has gotten a reputation for being difficult because so many contestants on Top Chef and other shows have tried to make it and failed simply because the challenge didn't allow enough time for it to set.
view Joanna's profile
I was thinking the same thing about top chef. Doesn't that usually happen when they are trying to make ice cream and it fails?
I always see rosewater on the cheap in the indian section of supermarkets (Tops/Wegmans)
view electropositive's profile
bilberries are the european equivalent of blueberries, they are extremely similar both their pulp is purple and not green and they are generally smaller. My mistake, they just looked more like bilberries :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilberry
view plch's profile
This was incredibly simple and delicious! I made it this afternoon for dessert tonight. I didn't have yogurt or rose water. Instead I subbed half and half for the yogurt and pure lemon extract for the rosewater. Also added 1/4 tsp vanilla. Hubby doesn't like mint, so I garnished with the blueberries and lemon zest. Thanks for a keeper recipe!
view goodLife{eats}'s profile
That's strange, I thought I posted a comment but it's not showing up.
This was a fantastic and simple dessert. Due to my available ingredients I subbed the following:
half and half for the yogurt
1/2 tsp pure lemon extract for the rosewater
added 1/4 tsp vanilla
garnished with lemon zest (hubby doesn't like mint, so I never have it)
Thanks for the recipe. It's a keeper!
view goodLife{eats}'s profile
and now my previous comment is showing. sorry for the double post!
view goodLife{eats}'s profile
Maybe I just don't like Panna Cotta and forgot. I found this so rich and creamy as to be really, really overwhelming and heavy, and I used lowfat yogurt with the cream.
I bet you could just make it with yogurt and it would be nice. I make a yogurt mousse all the time with just lowfat yogurt, gelatin, and beaten egg whites and flavored with citrus. I think I'll adapt that recipe with these ingredients: yogurt mousse with orange zest and rosewater, garnished with blueberries.
view lotusmoss's profile