Strawberry Panna Cotta - A Luxury Dessert???

In Italian, Panna Cotta literally means "Cooked Cream".  It is surprisingly light, similar in consistency to a flan (but no eggs).  With a hint of vanilla, it tastes surprisingly like a milk shake.  Resting on a bed of Strawberry Sauce, this is going to be my dessert for my planned 7 course luxury meal.  As I write this, I am still  in the running to be the Next Food Blog Star.  Assignment #3 is to host a "Luxury Dinner Party".

I will be working a bit on the presentation, adding a cut strawberry on the top, as well as a garnish of of a chocolate covered strawberry on the side.  But essentially, this is the dish I will be serving.

Here's my thought process...


The dessert needs to be individually plated.  meaning it should not be a cut piece of a cake.  Remember, it is a luxury meal, so large desserts that are cut and served are out.  I looked over my body of work, and I just didn't have anything ready to go.  So, off to the all mighty search engine to do a little research.


Another very important criteria was to serve something that can be made and plated in advance.  Long as I make room in my fridge, I can just pull these out and serve at 8 PM, after making these at noon.  Without a sous chef, having the evening flow is very important.  Moving from one course to the next can not be a 30 minute event (or even a 10 minute event).  Dishes should be cleared and new courses served seamlessly.


Next, I wanted a dramatic look.  The contrast of the stark white panna cotta and the blood red strawberry sauce is pretty.  But the panna cotta, when removed from the ramekin, has a smooth rounded look that is unusual.  Looks a bit like melting ice cream. 


And finally, it needed to fit into my theme.  All of my menu items have a European wine country origin.  I am fudging a bit, with this being Italian and most of the other recipes are French, but wine country is general enough to include both.

So, Penna Cotta it is, and after making a test version, I am pretty happy.  One more advantage, this will be a BIG meal.  I know to serve small portions, but seven courses is still 7 courses.  The penna cotta is very light  Much less filling than a pudding or custard.  And if you don't dip the sauce, it has little heft at all.  Remember, a really light smooth milkshake.  A perfect top to a big meal without weighing yourself down.


OK, this is two parts, the Penna Cotta and the Strawberry sauce... 


Here's what I did...


Panna Cotta
1 tbsp of gelatin powder
1 cup of light cream
1/4 cup of sugar
1 1/4 cup of milk
1 tsp of vanilla

Strawberry Sauce
2 cups of strawberries
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of water

• Combine 2 tbsp of water in a small bowl and sprinkle in the gelatin powder and set aside to bloom.
• Combine the cream, milk and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until sugar dissolved.
• Add in the gelatin and continue to stir until gelatin dissolved. Add in vanilla.
• Pour the mixture into small cups or ramekins, let cool to room temperature and refrigerate until set.
• To remove, warm the outside of the ramekins in a warm water bath for just a couple minutes, will flip over easily.
• For the sauce, Combine strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook until the strawberries are broken down. It will take about 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and run through a food processor to get an even consistency
• Refrigerate the sauce to let it thicken.
• Once ready to serve, drizzle the sauce over the panna cotta, or make a bed and rest the penna cotta on top.

And just that easy... Luxury (I hope).

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