Panna Cotta is an Italian Dessert which means “cooked cream” according to wiki, the free encyclopedia.

Whenever we dine out especially at Italian restaurants I make sure I have room for dessert especially for Panna Cotta. So far there are only two restaurants in Makati that I love their Panna Cotta; Nielsens at Manila Peninsula and Carpaccio Ristorante in Yakal St.. I love their Panna Cotta simply because the texture and taste is perfect for me.

That is the challenge of making the Panna Cotta, achieving the perfect blend of cream, milk, and gelatin making it not too soft and not too hard.

I searched for Panna Cotta recipes on the Internet, and there are lots of different versions but what I chose is Mario Batali’s recipe of Panna Cotta. Why? Personally I like Mario’s way of cooking, and lastly his recipe of Panna Cotta Dessert is the simplest I found. Here’s the Panna Cotta recipe I strictly followed:

Ingredients:

Panna cotta
2 tablespoons water
1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
2 cups whipping cream
1 1/4 cups plain goat’s-milk or whole-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar

Preparation:

For panna cotta:
Pour 2 tablespoons water into small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Whisk 1 cup cream, yogurt, and vanilla in large bowl to blend.
Heat remaining 1 cup cream and 1/2 cup sugar in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and cream comes to simmer. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve gelatin. Mix hot cream-gelatin mixture into yogurt mixture in bowl. Divide mixture among six 3/4-cup ramekins, using about 1/2 cup for each. Refrigerate desserts uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

The result of my latest Panna Cotta attempt? A huge success! I am so happy! I made the Panna Cotta I’ve always wanted. Thanks to Mario’s recipe. I also added grated Ghirardelli’s unsweetened chocolate on top of the Panna Cotta to add my personal touch

Note that Panna Cotta may also be spelled as Pana Cota or one word pannacotta/panacota. It doesn’t really matter how you spell it, as long as you specify that the panacota you are looking for is an Italian dessert.