The summertime is a perfect time to enjoy the Italian cousin to the French crème brulee, panna cotta.
Panna Cotta literally translates into cooked cream in English. It is a dessert set with gelatin, rather than relying on an egg-based custard which needs to be cooked in the oven. Instead, the cream is set with gelatin.
For this recipe, you should use plain, unflavoured gelatin, which is usually found in the grocery store aisle with the baking supplies. What we are looking for here is a wobbly, creamy finish rather than a rubber ball texture.
I am pairing it with the in-season cherries. The cherry compote is placed in the bottom of a ramekin with the cream mixture gently poured over the top. The result will mimic the iconic fruit bottom yogurt cups.
For an interesting twist, I am incorporating roasted white chocolate. While this sounds very complicated, it is exactly what it sounds like: white chocolate is placed in the oven and slowly roasted to bring out the caramel notes of the white chocolate. This is a decadent dessert which can be made up to two days in advance. What I like about this dessert is that there is no need to worry about slicing and plating it up; it’s all taken care of when you assemble the dessert before you put it into the fridge to set. You can also substitute the cherries for peaches here which would also be an ideal way to celebrate the Canadian growing season.
If you don’t have individual ramekins to portion out the panna cotta, feel free to assemble it a family-style vessel. Both serving styles will look visually dynamic on the plate. I especially love the look of this dessert in small, wide-mouth mason jars. The lids that come with the jars make them ideal to take on the road with you.
Caramelized White Chocolate Panna Cotta Served with Cherry Compote
Created by Chef Ilona Daniel
Cherry Compote
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 cups cherries, pitted
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
Pit cherries and place in a covered pot with the sugar and extracts. Place on low heat until the cherries start giving off liquid. A splash of water could be used to keep the fruit from scorching. The heat can be increased at this point to medium.
Once the cherries have softened and the juice begins to reduce, mix the water and cornstarch together and then add the mixture to the simmering cherries. Reduce heat and allow the mixture to thicken. The mixture should remind you of pie filling.
The cherry filling will continue to thicken so remove it from heat a little before it hits the desired texture.
Caramelized white chocolate
- 6 oz white chocolate
Preheat oven to 250 F. Break up the white chocolate into cubes and spread out onto a parchment-lined baking tray (note: chocolate chips would also work). Place the tray in the oven and stir in five-minute intervals until the white chocolate takes on a light brown colour. The time will vary depending on your oven.
If the chocolate crystalizes, do not worry, it will be dissolved into the heavy cream at the next stage. Allow to cool.
Panna Cotta
- 6 oz Caramelized white chocolate
- 2 cups Heavy cream
- 1 tbsp White sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp Boiling water
- 2 tsp Gelatin powder
Mix together the heavy cream, sugar white chocolate, and vanilla extract in a saucepan and heat until everything is dissolved.
In a separate container, mix together hot water and gelatin, stir until combined. Add the gelatin to the heavy cream mix.
In the bottom of the ramekins (or in a single loaf pan), spoon in enough cherry compote to cover the bottom. On top of the cherries, pour in the heavy cream mixture, filling about three-quarters of the way. Cover the ramekins in cling film and place in the refrigerator allowing to set for at least four hours. This is best done a day ahead.
Ilona Daniel is a chef from PEI. She believes cooking with passion is the key to having fun in the kitchen. She welcomes comments from readers by email at [email protected] or Twitter.com/chef_ilona
