Vanilla Panna Cotta

Vanilla Panna Cotta

I used to have a bit of a phobia about cooking with gelatine. Mostly it was because I’ve had some disasters in my time – everything from hard and rubbery to completely non-set. When one of my fellow food bloggers posted she was making panna cotta for a lunch of 100 people, I left her a comment saying how brave I thought she was. It also inspired me to include a panna cotta recipe in this book because I love them soo much. Don’t worry, I’ve tested and re-tested this one and I promise you’ll get that wonderful Goldilocks panna cotta ‘wobble’.

makes: 4
takes: 2 hours
300mL (1 1/4 cups) whipping cream
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
2 teaspoons gelatine powder
1/8 teaspoon pure stevia powder*
1 cup milk

1. Bring cream, vanilla bean and seeds to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat.

2. Start stirring the cream vigorously with a whisk and sprinkle gelatine of the top of the cream while you stir. Keep stirring for a minute. Don’t worry there will be little lumps of gelatine. Stand without stirring for 5 minutes for the vanilla flavour to infuse.

4. Stir in stevia and cold milk. Strain the mixture to remove the vanilla bean and any gelatine lumps.

5. Pour into 4 pretty tea cups. Refrigerate until set. Will take an hour or a bit longer.

Variations

*important note about stevia! – there are 4 types of stevia:
1. Pure Stevia Powder – looks like icing (powdered / confectioners) sugar. It’s expensive but a tiny amount goes a long long way. We’re talking 1/2 teaspoon to sweeten a whole cake. This is what I use.
2. Granular Stevia (like Natvia or Truvia) – looks like regular white sugar. It’s a blend of erythritol and stevia. Usually 1/8 teaspoon = 2-3 tablespoons granular stevia.
3. Fresh or Dried Stevia Leaves – from a real stevia plant! I haven’t baked with them but they will behave similar to the pure stevia powder. Just add to taste.
4. Liquid stevia. I haven’t used this. But add to taste.

granular stevia – replace pure powder with 2-3 tablespoons granular stevia. Add it at the same time as the gelatine so it dissolves properly.

no stevia – use your favourite sweetener… Honey, maple syrup, xylitol or white sugar! Just add and taste until you’re happy with the sweetness level. I used to use 60g (2oz) white sugar.

no vanilla bean – use 1-2 teaspoons vanilla powder or vanilla extract instead.

sour cream – replace cream with sour cream.

mascarpone – replace half the milk with mascarpone or other cream cheese.

leaf gelatine – use 1 sheet titanium strength gelatine instead. Soak in cold water until soft, squeeze to remove excess moisture and then stir into the hot cream.

vegetarian / vegan – use agar instead of the gelatine (see the pack to figure out how much to use).

dairy-free – use coconut cream and your favourite dairy-free milk.

serving suggestion – lovely with fresh or cooked fruit.

Shelf Life / Storage

Can be kept for 2 weeks or more in an airtight container in the fridge – even longer if you can be bothered to sterilize your jar! Do not freeze.