The ultimate guide to creamy panna cotta with a raspberry twist

Panna cotta is a delicious and extremely simple dessert whose roots go back to northern Italy. The name of the dessert, meaning simply "cooked cream," perfectly captures its essence. Traditionally, panna cotta is served with a fruit mousse—it tastes best in summer, taken straight from the refrigerator, with a sauce made from blended strawberries or raspberries.

Panna cotta is the best dessert for warm days. Taken straight from the refrigerator, it is refreshing, sweet, and, above all, delicious. It's perfect for parties and is almost a must-have element of sweet tables. It will lift your spirits on a bad day and sweeten a weekend afternoon.

Classic panna cotta is a delicious base for experiments. Add vanilla, lemon, or orange zest to the cream and even liqueurs such as amaretto or limoncello. Gelatin is a stabilizer, but if you want to prepare a vegetarian version of the dessert, you can replace it with agar. It's also worth using natural vanilla or good extract to enhance the dish's flavor and give it a delightful aroma.

To make panna cotta set faster, chill the dishes you'll serve beforehand. You can put them in the refrigerator for a few minutes before use.

Ingredients:

Cream base:

        
• 1 tsp gelatin
• 1 3/4 cups cream (30%)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract or scraped vanilla seeds

Raspberry jelly:

      
• 2/3 lb raspberries
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp gelatin
• fresh raspberries for decoration

Preparation:

1. Pour cold water over the gelatin, just enough to cover it. Let it sit for a few minutes to bloom.
2. Heat the cream with milk, sugar, and vanilla extract in a pot. Stir until the ingredients combine and the mixture becomes hot but not boiling.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and add the bloomed gelatin. Gently stir until completely dissolved. Allow to cool and slightly thicken.
4. Pour the cream mixture evenly into previously chilled dishes. Place in the refrigerator and wait until the dessert is completely set. Be patient, as this can take several hours.
5. Place the raspberries with sugar in a pot and simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the raspberries break down completely and release their juice.
6. Strain the hot raspberry mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds. Allow to cool slightly.
7. Add the bloomed gelatin to the cooled raspberry mousse. Gently stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved and mixed with the mousse.
8. Carefully pour the prepared raspberry jelly over the set panna cotta.
9. Place the dessert back in the refrigerator and wait until the raspberry jelly is completely set.

Before serving, decorate the panna cotta with fresh raspberries. Enjoy!