Panna Cotta

Here's my recipe for panna cotta. I've messed with it a few times and read several recipes to finally get something I liked that was easy to replicate. Panna Cotta is always a crowd pleaser, it looks good and tastes great. When I make it, I just do a straight up "sweet cream" version (sometimes with vanilla, sometimes without) because it's smooth and creamy and comforting and delicious without any extra flavors. Having said that, panna cotta is another of those amazing, yet simple, desserts that has endless possibilities. You can add any number of flavors, from vanilla, to coffee, to chocolate, to various fruits, etc, the only limitation is your imagination. I've seen recipes where the fruit is added as a garnish or added to the mixture before it sets up. I've seen it layered with a gelee, garnished with caramel, chocolate, fruit compote, etc. I've even seen savory panna cotta recipes. All that to say that, it's easy and versatile and everyone should add a basic recipe to their culinary repertoire. As time and creativity permit, I plan on experimenting a great deal more. The basic recipe is a mixture of milk, half and half, or cream, sugar, and unflavored gelatin. You can make it with just milk, but, it of course loses a great deal of the richness that it's known for. I have found that a mix of cream, half and half, and milk, produce the greatest result but that using all cream tends to be a bit cloying and can easily separate with a butter-like layer on top, which is not very appetizing.

Panna Cotta 

1 C milk (whole preferably)
1 C cream
8 C of half and half
4 packages (.25 oz) envelopes of unflavored gelatin
1 C white sugar (although brown sugar has an amazing flavor and I substitute as much as possible, though you won't get that traditional white panna cotta look)
1 1/2 T vanilla (optional. I have also used pure almond extract, 1-2 t or to taste)

Pour milk into small bowl, add gelatin, and whisk until gelatin is almost dissolved, set aside and let fully dissolve.
Add cream, half and half, and sugar to a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Keep a close eye on mixture, you just want it scalded basically.
Add milk/gelatin mix and continue to stir. If using mostly cream, stir slowly and occasionally, too much can cause it to separate as it cools.
Take off heat, and add vanilla. Pour into ramekins and put in refrigerator to cool (overnight preferably).
I serve them in the ramekins themselves, but if you dip them in hot water for a few seconds they should slide out fairly easily. I typically garnish with a berry compote:

Berry Compote:

Bag of frozen mixed berries thawed in a saucepan over medium heat, add some lemon juice (about 1/4 C depending on amount of berries, typically 12 oz to 1 lb), add sugar (about 1/2 C, or to taste), cook down while stirring. If you prefer it smoother use the immersion blender, but I don't mind it "lumpy". Let cool, store in refrigerator until serving.

Buon Appetito!