Panna Cotta

I learned to make several delectable desserts in pastry school, but most are time consuming and a bit complicated. It’s hard enough to cook up a fancy dinner without worrying about a fancy dessert. I really needed a simple, homemade “go to” dessert that still had the “wow” factor. It sounds impossible, but I discovered that Panna Cotta is one of the simplest desserts to make. It’s literally easier than baking cookies, but no one would ever know because of its incredible taste and texture. Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert that translates to “cooked cream”. It can be described as silky, smooth, refreshing, light, and just delightful. This is also the perfect dessert for entertaining, because it can be made up to two days in advance and kept refrigerated until ready to serve.

I made a vanilla bean version dressed with strawberries and chocolate ganache. You can garnish and flavor to your heart’s desire. A caramel sauce with toasted almonds would be a nice touch. A citrus berry compote would also be wonderful in the summer. Instead of vanilla bean, flavor the cream with orange/lemon zest, espresso, chocolate etc. Just make it your own!

See Recipe!