This is ridiculously simple and I feel a bit of a fraud offering it up as a “recipe”. But one of my best friends has never ordered panna cotta in a restaurant in the last five years, and the reason given is: “because it won’t be as good as yours”. High praise indeed!
Except this isn’t really, truly a classic Panna Cotta. There is no gelatine in it. Instead you just cook the cream for much, much longer until it is thick enough to semi-set when chilled. “Panna cotta” is just Italian for “cooked cream” and so really this recipe is more panna cotta than a proper Panna Cotta is! The result is indulgently rich, quite close to white chocolate parfait, and really needs to be served with a tangy coulis of some kind to cut the power of the cream.
[singlepic id=152 w=500 h=400 float=center]
Oh! And before I scribble it down, I have to say this isn’t my recipe. I found it years ago on the old website of Mr Underhills, Shaun Hill’s lovely restaurant in Ludlow. That website has long gone and so I can’t link back to the original.
Rich panna cotta (serves 2)
1 level dessert spoon caster sugar
½ vanilla pod, split
- Pour the cream in a small pan, with the vanilla pod and sugar. Bring to a simmer
- Simmer for 15-25 minutes, basically until the cream has reduced by about a third (tip: keep the cream carton and you can pour it in to see how much it has reduced)
- Pour into little cups or ramekins, stick in the fridge to chill
Seeeeeeee? Too easy. Just increase the cream, sugar and vanilla if you want to make more. As I say, you really need to top this with a coulis; two handfuls of raspberries, a squirt of lemon juice and a spoonful of sugar, simmer for 5 minutes then pass through a sieve – that’ll do it.
[singlepic id=153 w=450 h=840 float=center]
6 comments
1 ping
Skip to comment form
Everyone should make this, it is fantastic! And Matt is right, I haven’t ordered a pannacotta in a restaurant for ages as it is never as good as this. Can I request pannacotta for dessert next time we come for dinner ? x
Author
Of course you can!
This seems too good to be true! High praise for your pudding indeed! Such a good thing to bear in mind if you fancy something quick and simple.
Author
Definitely a no-fuss dessert, given you can cook it up hours in advance and stick in the fridge. Although I know some people will be aghast at the thought of the amount of cream in it! Mind you, those kind of people also shouldn’t look too closely at how much sugar goes in a jar of jam, etc, etc. ; )
Anyway, give it a try some time and see what you think.
Brilliantly simple and stunning to boot. Thank you….
Author
Thanks! Although I can’t actually claim credit for the invention. ; ) Love your blog, btw – it reminds me of our year travelling around the world, which feels like a lifetime ago even though we only came back last August. I kept my food blog separate from the travel blog (http://otteradrift.com), though perhaps there was no need to do that!
[…] was a simple and rich pannacotta, but to try and keep a theme I flavoured it with two pinches of saffron instead of vanilla, and […]