Description
This smooth, creamy, perfectly sweetened milky white chocolate panna cotta recipe is as delicious as it is simple to make. And when made in its most basic form, it requires just 3 ingredients — heavy cream, gelatine, and sugar. We’ve removed the added sugar and replaced it with rich Belgian white chocolate, and added vanilla bean, and a pinch of salt (plus poppy seeds and a little lemon zest which are optional of course), and then we’ve topped it all off with homemade Fruitti di Bosco coulis. Make this dish even easier to pull off by serving it family-style, chilled in a single large brioche tin, or other pie or casserole dish, and let everyone help themselves. No need for unmolding and it still looks beautiful drizzled with sauce and chopped fruit or nuts.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Callebaut (or other high-quality) white chocolate (80g)
- 1/2 ounce gelatine sheets (8g) *see notes below for substituting powdered gelatine or agar agar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder (or 1 vanilla bean split and seeded)
- a dash of salt (optional but recommended)
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)
- lemon zest to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Bloom the gelatine sheets + chop the chocolate. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold tap water for about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the white chocolate finely so that it will melt into the hot cream mixture more quickly and easily later on.
- Heat the cream and sugar mixture. Pour the cream into a saucepan, add the vanilla, and heat on low stirring constantly until the mixture is very hot, but do not allow it to boil. Remove it from the heat.
- Add the gelatine + white chocolate. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine sheets and add it to the hot cream mixture and whisk for a few seconds to allow it to completely dissolve into the mixture. Then add the white chocolate and do not stir for 10 to 20 seconds or so. This allows the white chocolate to melt a little bit more before whisking it into the cream mixture. Whisk until the white chocolate is fully combined and pour the mixture into a measuring cup with a pour spout (which will make it easier to pour the panna cotta into smaller molds). Add the lemon zest and poppy seeds (if using) and whisk well to combine.
- Pour + chill the panna cotta. Pour the panna cotta directly into individual molds (or into one large mold that has a 750ml capacity). Allow the panna cotta to cool before placing into the refrigerator to set up for at least 6 hours or even better overnight.
- Unmold the panna cotta + serve. When ready to serve, immerse the molds 3/4 of the way into hot just-boiled water for 2 seconds and flip them out onto a serving plate. Top with your favorite sauce, fruit, or nuts, and Enjoy!
Notes
- If you want a sweeter panna cotta, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar to the cream and vanilla mixture as it is heating up. But be sure not to add too much sugar because too much can keep gelatine from setting properly.
- If you want a lemon-flavored white chocolate panna cotta, add the desired amount of lemon zest to the cream and vanilla mixture as it is heating up to allow it to infuse the cream.
How to Substitute Gelatine Sheets in this Recipe
It’s always best to use the type of gelatine called for in any given recipe, but sometimes you want to make a recipe and you just don’t have gelatine sheets lying around.
- You should be able to successfully substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons of powdered gelatin for the sheet gelatine called for. Although I’ve not yet tried this particular recipe with powdered gelatine, I believe it should give you just the right delicate panna cotta consistency. Do not use more than 2 teaspoons for 2 cups of liquid, or it may be too firm.
- If substituting gelatin sheets with agar agar, use the same amount of agar agar in weight as called for in the recipe using a 1:1 ratio.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 ounce serving
