Last updated on August 19th, 2014
I’VE BEEN ON A TUSCAN KICK THIS MONTH. Already I’ve made Cecina — a naturally gluten-free Tuscan flatbread, as well as some lemon-rich Polpettine. And this morning, I whipped up a batch of Panna Cotta. Are you familiar with this glamorous and outrageously-delicious Tuscan dessert? It takes all of 10 minutes to prepare.
At its traditional best, Panna Cotta is composed of sweetened cream, gelatin, and vanilla. You pour this luscious liquid into little molds (I like to use custard cups, coffee cups, or tea cups) and then chill it for four hours, or for up to two days. Then you unmold it onto plates, bowls, or dessert goblets.
Easy peazy, right?
Let’s make this poetry.
To start, take a quart of heavy cream…
And pour it into a heavy-based pot or sauce pan.
Heavy cream too rich for you? Use half-and-half.
And that reminds me. While shopping at my lousy local supermarket the other day, I noticed — to my utter horror amusement — a fat-free version of half and half. Have any of you tried this stuff? I’m curious to know what you think of it.
Add one half cup of sugar to the cream.
Stirring occasionally, heat the cream just until the sugar dissolves. This will occur when the liquid barely reaches a simmer.
Off heat, stir in 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.
Meanwhile, pour 6 tablespoons of cold water into a large bowl…
And then violently rip open two packets of unflavored gelatin, and sprinkle the little granules over the water. You needn’t stir the gelatin — just let it lounge and luxuriate on the water for about 5 minutes.
Then tip the warm cream into the bowl, and stir with a spatula until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
Now it’s time to select your molds! I’ve formed Panna Cotta in each of the following:
Clear glass custard cups…
Little white bowls decorated with a leaf pattern…
And English tea cups.
One year, for Valentine’s Day, I formed Panna Cotta in a heart-shaped mold.
And get this — I was single at the time.
Single. But hopeful.
Place the molds on a baking sheet, and then give each a quick coating of non-stick spray.
Fill the the cups or what-have-you with the cream mixture, and then pop them into the fridge for four hours.
Note: After four hours have passed, you can unmold the Panna Cotta. Or, you can cover the molds with plastic wrap. The cream will keep perfectly well in the fridge for up to two days.
If you shake the baking tray and the cream doesn’t shimmy like your sister Kate, you’ll know the cream has set.
To unmold, first run a knife around the edge of the cream…
Then set a plate atop the mold…
Invert the two…
Say three Hail Marys…
And out will come your beautifully-shaped Panna Cotta.
You can decorate this deliciousness with just about anything that pops into your head.
If you’d like to shock your dinner guests, top the dessert with anchovies.
Otherwise, consider chocolate shavings. Or cocoa-powder. Or caramel. Or honey.
Today, I decorated my Panna Cotta with some raspberries and blueberries which were previously frozen. Although delicious, the fruit didn’t photograph very well.
So please feel sorry for me and leave lots of comments on this post, okay?
And be sure to make this Tuscan treasure. It’s silky. It’s smooth. One bite, and you’ll want to eat the entire batch.
Just as I did.
Need a copy-and-paste version of the above? Here goes:
Panna Cotta
Ingredients for 8 half-cup servings
4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 packets (or 4 1/2 teaspoons) powdered gelatin
6 tablespoons cold waterSpecial equipment – Custard cups, coffee cups, tea cups or little bowls in which to mold the Panna Cotta
Pour the cream and sugar into a heavy-bottomed pot or saucepan. While stirring occasionally, heat the mixture just until the sugar dissolves.
Off heat, stir in the vanilla extract.Pour 6 tablespoons of water into a large bowl, then sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the water. Let rest for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, spray your custard cups or whatever type of molds you are using, with non-stick spray. Then place the molds atop a baking sheet.
Tip the still-warm cream into the bowl of gelatin, and stir with a spatula until the gelatin dissolves. Then ladle the cream into the molds, and let them chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours. (After 4 hours, you can either unmold the desserts, or cover them with plastic wrap. The cream will keep perfectly well in the fridge for up to two days.)
To unmold, run a knife around the edge of the cream, set a plate or a bowl atop the mold, and then invert the two.
Just before serving, decorate the top of the dessert with berries, chocolate shavings, cocoa powder, or honey.
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More deliciousness:
Bacon-wrapped Grissini
Smoked Trout on Toast
Marmalade Cake
Kirstie says
Looks delightful! As for the fat free half and half…it is horrible! I tried it in coffee and threw the whole container away!
Christina liebler says
Fat free 1/2 and 1/2 is awful. Stick to the real stuff…it is worth every calorie.
Tracy says
Easy peasy is right. And how bad can any dessert be that starts out with “To start, take a quart of heavy cream…”? Heaven
By the way, for those who may think the ‘fat free’ version of Half and Half is a low cal option, beware! It’s full of sugar, believe it or not. Check the label; you’re trading one dietary caution for another.
Jay says
Heavenly! Who knew it was so easy to make? Huh.
leslie says
Look delicious. My favorite topping on panna cotta is orange mouse or curd. Really, I just love anything that makes it taste like a creamsicle.
Kate says
Ah, panna cotta! One of my favorite desserts. Your berries look fine. Had you not commented on them, I would have assumed they had been slightly crushed and macerated in a fruity liqueur.
Fat free half and half is dreadful. And what’s the point? If I don’t want the fat content I use milk.
MaryAnn Quinn says
The fat free version of anything has chemicals far worse than the fat! Same goes for sugar free.
Heidi Haas says
I had the horrible experience of accidentally buying fat free half & half ( I was in a hurry and didn’t notice)
So half-awake me makes morning coffee. Still did not notice the cream was fat free. Took my first sip…
It was so god-awful I actually spit it out. I thought the 1/2 & 1/2 was rotten until I got my glasses & inspected the container -No coffee until I could stop for a take-out cup on the way to work –
Cherylann McGuire says
Where are you finding these Tuscan recipes? I need to make a couple things for my Anthropology Food and Culture class (Tuscan Food Lab.) Definitely making the Tuscan Flatbread recipe you provided – thank you – and want to find another item. Many thanks!
Julie says
Kevin – you are soooo amazing, and I have been following you for a couple of years. I wonder how this would turn out with coconut cream? It seems to be a better choice for health reasons? I used it recently as an alternative to dairy cream in a pumpkin pie and it worked great!
Kathy D says
Looks wonderful and so easy I could probably make it without messing it up. Thanks, Kevin.
gloria says
Oooh my, this is going to be better than whipped cream straight out of the can into my mouth.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Julie – The flavor of dairy is important for Panna Cotta. But, I think you could probably swap out some of the cream or 1/2 and 1/2 for coconut cream. Worth a try!
Lana says
This looks wonderful! Can’t wait to give it a try.
Mary Lou says
Oh my goodness..how we love easy peasy!! Thank you, Kevin!
Kattrinka says
Looks divine! The fruit may not have photographed well, but OH MY the vanilla did! Love the action….
Lori says
Looks divine even with the frozen fruit. I would never have guessed it was frozen. I figured you made a berry conserve to pour over top. I will be trying this soon!
Karen L. says
Well, you certainly got me drooling like a dog! Looks really good! About “fat free” items: I bought one or two items labeled that way a number of years ago but found them to be terrible. I stick with one’s labeled “half the fat” or some such label if I am trying to cut down on calories. At least they still have some flavor.
Annie says
This sounds wonderful!! And easy!!! Fat Free 1/2 and 1/2…..now that is a sin! Thanks Kevin!!
Margaret says
Not for this recipe but for many and definitely for a caffeine starved coffee drinker, evaporated milk is an excellent replacement for half and half. When making chocolate pie or pudding, coconut cream pie and many other recipes calling for milk, I use a can of evaporated milk and finish the measurement with milk. It makes a richer tasting, better textured custard.
Sheri Svyerson says
Can’t wait to try this. Am ‘grounded’ from baking right now due to a recent surgery but nobody could deny me making this!
Lulu says
Kevin,
I use reg, non homogenized whole milk for my panacotta and it’s also fabulously rich and delicious. I add a natural lemon flavoring and zest sometimes for lemon panacotta and…..I also add a teaspoon or so of instant coffee and Kailua for a beautiful coffee flavored panacotta.
Let me know if you try these options.
Cheers Lulu
Terri says
Fat free half and half… can that concoction legally be named as such??? Phew, no thanks!! Looks marvelous, including the berries!, Therefore I’m making oatmeal pumpkin cookies since the real half and half is to far away to go and purchase!!
Mitzi Saltsman says
Well how cool is that! Thanks
Deb says
Looks like dessert for tomorrow night. Have you ever finely diced fresh apples, cooked them as you would for pie and served them with Panna Cotta. Sounds good doesn”t it and I just picked some apples and pears from our trees. I will try it.
Denise in Colorado says
Kevin,
I must be the only one who loves my Land O Lakes Fat Free Half & Half! It tastes great in my chai tea! I don’t know about using in for this recipe though… Probably needs the fat to set up right. For more great Tuscan recipes you can read books by Frances Mayes (Under the Tuscan Sun)! She is also a great cook! 🙂
Janet says
Fat free half and half is great in making a creamy low-fat hot cocoa. Best to use is Skim Plus Fat Free Half and Half. The only ingredient is skim milk.
Sherlie Magaret says
I bought fat free half and half by mistake once and I could barely open it to pour it down the drain. Ewwwwwwwwww!!!
Beth says
You are funny!
John Root says
Here in Canada, one can occasionally find Lactose Free Whipping Cream. This is wonderful news for my wife, who has trouble with lactose. It tastes similar to me. It whips well. It can be used in cooking as well, but it is definitely not fat free. It is the fat that makes whipping cream what it is .
The dessert looks wonderful. I shall try to make some soon – with lactose free cream.
Suzyford says
Kevin you are too funny! Love your wit and your recipes! Thanks!
Adriana Fernandez says
Thank your for the Tuscan recipes, my grandmother (mia nona) was from Tuscany and I loved to make hers, I moved from Argentina to Canada and couldn’t find her books to scan them, I believe they are lost. I am now starting the search to find my favourites.
La Contessa says
LOve the flower trimmed plate!
LOve PANNA COTTA as it is Gluten Free………..
LOved Tuscany when I lived there 20 plus years ago!
Brenda Johnson says
Dreamy, creamy and sumptuously divine!!!! The flavor is delicate- clean and simple. The texture is just the most amazingly smooth and velvety dessert ever!!! Mine had raspberries on it- which are a personal favorite- so that gave a tart contrast to the sweet sweet heaven on a plate!!!! Thank you Kevin!!! ALL treat- no trick with this taste test!!!!
Dawn Hill says
Fat free half and half is nasty-and not just because it does not taste right-it has corn syrup in it to “make up” for the lack of fat too. That junk is a lot of GMO and over processed garbage and no one should be using it for anything at all in my opinion.
Ed Morrow says
If you want a real treat, douse the panna cotta with Strega. Strega is an Italian herbal liqueur. Once you try it you will never have panna cotta any other way.
Cate says
Got fat free “half and half” (HA!) by mistake the other day – we usually make our morning lattes with half & half (technically breves), and we kept wondering why the cream wouldn’t foam! And tasted funny. *finally* figured out we’d gotten the fat-free by mistake – down the drain it went!
Beverly, zone 6, eastern PA says
Beautiful photography, as usual!
Thanks for a dessert recipe made to impress.
Gay Ayyagari says
Fat free half/half good substitute fro cream in soups to lighten up the calories a bit.
Teal Lockard says
I love Panna Cotta! I’ve been making it for years and usually put a little homemade rosewater in my recipe. It’s the ingredient that makes you go “hmmmm”. I always top with blackberries, raspberries and and blueberries.
Charlotte says
Ok! I finally have some unflavoured gelatin, so I have to go make this! I was planning on making aspic, but this looks sooo much nicer! 😀
Judy says
I love your choice of blue in mixing bowls. Blue is such a complement to food.
johanna says
Always glutenfree. I wil tray. It looks so tasty. Thank you.
Gretchen says
Kevin, This sounds too good to ignore! We’re off to the market to pick up some perishables before the next snow event happens all over us. This one sounds nasty.
As for fat free half & half ——- it isn’t worth the effort to pick up and put inyour shopping cart. Whoever came up with that one should be required to use it exclusively for the rest of eternity!
Marrion says
Fat free (unless the food is fat free naturally) is of the devil! There’s a toasty spot in the netherworld for the food scientists who keep coming up with these nasty products! The panna cotta, on the other hand sounds heavenly and drop dead easy too. Can’t wait to try it.
Barbara says
Could you just spoon cherry pie filling on top for a valentine look?
Dori says
I like the idea of strega for topping, or curacao or kahlua. (My spelling is probably off). Brandied fruit would be good. Or the panna cotta all by its self. Yum!
As for the oxymoronic half and half, straight from the chem lab, not food.
The best thing is the picture of the floating plate. I can’t get mine to hold still mid air.
Lesley says
Made this for Christmas Day dessert. Served with fresh freit and melted chocolate, merlot (okay, from a jar!),sauce. Absolutely heavenly! Going to try illes de flottante next!
Linda says
I am so happy to have this recipe. I love Panna Cotta. The first time I had it was in a small hotel outside of Florence. I was in a group of travel agents and we were hosted for a lovely lunch. The Panna Cotta was served with a fresh orange marmalade. I say fresh because the topping had bits of fresh navel orange in it. I have been thinking of topping it with Orange Apricot jam from Sarahs Bakery in New York. Have you tried it? It is spectacular.
Ed Morrow says
Hello,
Panna Cotta is wonderful, but when you pour on some Strega it becomes divine. Strega is an Italian liquor with just a little bit of bite that wonderfully complements the taste of the panna cotta. Try it and you’ll be making it every day for a week.
Debbie says
Kevin, my mother use to make something, she called Brides Pudding, during the holidays. To no avail, I have searched and searched for a recipe. This sounds very similar. She buttered her mold and pressed coconut flakes to the side before filling them. After chilling she dipped into warm water to release them and she used a raspberry sauce to drizzle over. *swoon*
I’ll be giving your recipe a try and with any luck this will be it ~ or at least close enough 🙂
THANK YOU!
Sheila says
Help… I made it but it didn’t set up. What did I do wrong? I followed the recipe exactly. I made it Sunday. And it still isn’t set this evening–Monday.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Sheila – When panna cotta doesn’t set up, undissolved or (non-dispersed) gelatin is usually to blame. Be sure to sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the water, instead of pouring it in a heap. Otherwise a clump can form. Hope this was helpful to you in some small way!
Sheila says
Thanks Kevin. I will try again.
Sherry in Willow Grove PA says
For a Keto version use Swerve! I made it with coconut milk as well, and it was super yummy… maybe I need to make that again and put coconut flakes on the way one person suggested. Your home-made vanilla would certainly add to the allure of this Tuscan dessert. Thanks for re-posting.