
Panna Cotta Recipe | How To Make Panna Cotta
Panna Cotta, originating from Italy, is a dessert created using milk and cream. This straightforward and delightful panna cotta formula excludes gelatin, rendering it a vegetarian rendition. Agar agar, a setting agent, is employed in lieu of gelatin to solidify this dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups light cream or low-fat cream (20 to 30% fat), swap easily with 2 cups of whipping or heavy cream
- ½ cup sugar or add as required
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 2 tablespoons agar agar strands – finely chopped
- ⅓ cup hot water
Instructions
- Do note that both the agar agar solution and the cream mixture should be hot when mixed with each other. So, cook both simultaneously.
Making Agar Agar Liquid
- First take the 2 tablespoons finely chopped agar agar strands in a small sauce pan. Do cut the agar agar strands in small or tiny pieces.
- Add hot water.
- Mix and let the agar agar strands soak in hot water for 5 minutes.
- Then keep the agar agar and water mixture on a low heat. Keep on stirring the agar agar solution and let it cook till the agar agar strands are dissolved.
- Continue to stir often when cooking this solution.
- Switch off the heat when all the agar agar strands have dissolved. You will see a clear solution.
Making Vanilla Panna Cotta Mixture
- Meanwhile mix the light cream (or whipping or heavy cream) and whole milk in a pan or saucepan.
- Add sugar.
- Keep the saucepan on the stovetop on a low to low-medium heat. Stir with a wired whisk. The sugar should dissolve completely.
- Keep on stirring at intervals while the cream mixture comes to a gentle boil.
- The mixture should just come to a gentle boil. Then turn off the heat.
- Add the vanilla extract. If using vanilla essence, then add 1 teaspoon of it. Mix very well.
- Now add the hot agar agar liquid to the hot cream and milk mixture. Both the agar agar solution and the cream mixture should be hot when you mix them.
- Mix again very well with a wired whisk.
Setting Panna Cotta
- Pour the hot panna cotta mixture in bowls. If you plan to unmould the panna cotta, then grease the bowls with some neutral tasting oil like sunflower oil.
- Cover the bowls with aluminium foil or lids. When the panna cotta mixture becomes warm or comes to room temperature, then place the bowls in the fridge to set for 4 to 5 hours or overnight.
- After setting, the panna cotta will have a gentle wobble on it.Serve Panna Cotta once it is set as is or topped with your favorite fruits or berries or drizzled with a fruit sauce or coulis.
Nutrition
Calories: 392kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 4gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 66mgPotassium: 167mgSugar: 21gVitamin A: 1298IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 143mg
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