Award Winning Panna Cotta Food

PANNA COTTA

Steps:

• In a very small saucepan sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand about 1 minute to soften. Heat gelatin mixture over low heat until gelatin is dissolved and remove pan from heat.
• In a large saucepan bring cream, half and half, and sugar just to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring. Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture and vanilla. Divide cream mixture among eight 1/2-cup ramekins and cool to room temperature. Chill ramekins, covered, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Dip ramekins, 1 at a time, into a bowl of hot water 3 seconds. Run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin and invert ramekin onto center of a small plate.

THE BEST PANNA COTTA YOU WILL EVER HAVE

Steps:

• Place sixteen 4-ounce ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Split vanilla bean lengthwise with the tip of a sharp knife. Holding the pod open, scrape seeds from each half using the flat side of your knife.
• Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
• Combine vanilla pods, scraped beans, heavy cream, and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl that will fit snugly into the pot; whisk thoroughly to mix. Place bowl over simmering water; whisk until cream mixture is just warm and sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
• Remove bowl from heat and strain cream mixture using a fine-mesh strainer. Pour out hot water.
• Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup water in a small bowl and stir quickly with a large toothpick until granules are separated. Pour gelatin into cream mixture and whisk thoroughly. Let sit until slightly cool, about 20 minutes.
• Whisk buttermilk thoroughly into cream mixture; pour into ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until set, at least 6 hours and preferably overnight.
• Place blueberries in a large saucepan over medium heat; cook until slightly toasted and starting to release their juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in orange juice and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook until mixture is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until thickened and syrupy, about 30 minutes.
• Run a thin knife around the edges of each ramekin. Invert panna cotta onto serving plates. Serve topped with blueberry topping.

ORANGE PANNA COTTA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let soak 10 minutes (do not stir).
• Meanwhile, heat the cream, sugar, orange peel, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, to dissolve the sugar. As soon as it simmers, turn off the heat and add the gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve the gelatin. (If the gelatin doesn¿t completely dissolve in 3 minutes, return to the heat and warm gently until dissolved.)
• Strain the mixture into a pitcher to remove the vanilla bean and orange rind. Pour the mixture into 6 to 8 ramekins or dessert cups, or into 1 larger dish. Chill, uncovered, at least 3 hours.
• To unmold, dip the cups in hot water for 10 seconds, then turn the panna cottas out onto dessert plates (or, simply serve in the cups or by the spoonful). Shave some chocolate curls onto the top of the panna cottas and serve with the orange supremes.
• Notes about the recipe: I love panna cotta because you can combine milks and creams to make it sweeter, more tart, or creamier. And then the flavor can be anything you can imagine goes well with dairy¿raspberry, citrus, coffee, tea, what ever! So it's one of those really flexible desserts that you can tailor to fit the flavors in the rest of your menu, and "flexible" almost never happens when it comes to a dessert recipe. Also, you can vary the container you make it in and turn it out to serve it or leave it in. Try using eggcups, demitasse cups, a hollowed out clean eggshell, shot glasses, anything will do. These are ingredients you might already have in your kitchen, too, so it cuts down on shopping, which is key for me. When I want to cook, I want to get right to it and not have to make a trip to the grocery just to get my hands into some dessert!

PANNA COTTA

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine the heavy cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla bean. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and whisk in ricotta. Strain into a bowl over ice.
• Drain the gelatin and slowly whisk into the cooling mixture. Allow to cool to room temperature. Slowly fold in the whipped cream. Lastly, fold in the minced Sweet Preserved Lemons.
• Arrange 1/4 cup of mixed berries in the bottom of a chilled martini glass. Repeat the process to 7 more glasses. Divide the cream evenly among the 8 glasses. Smooth the top and allow to chill at least 1 hour.
• Pour about 2 ounces of the Fresh Raspberry Puree or enough to cover the surface of the panna cotta. Chill at least 1 hour to allow to set completely. Serve chilled.
• In a pot, whisk together all above ingredients. Over medium heat, slowly bring the mixture to a boil. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn off heat, stir once and allow to set for 2 minutes.
• Line a colander with a double thickness of cheesecloth. Slowly pour the mixture into it and let it drain for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is thick. Transfer fresh ricotta into a non-reactive container. Keep refrigerated until needed.
• Yield: 1 1/2 cups
• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch the cleaned lemon halves for 1 minute. Drain. Repeat the process 2 more times, making sure that you use fresh water each time. After the final blanching, drain the peels.
• In a saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add the blanched peels and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and transfer to a covered container. Allow to cool in the refrigerator. This will keep for months in the refrigerator. Use as needed.
• Yield: 2 pounds
• Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and reduce until thickened. Strain. Use as needed.
• Yield: 2 cups

PANNA COTTA WITH FRESH BERRIES

Steps:

• Whisk together the cream, vanilla seeds, vanilla pod and 1/3 cup sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and let stand 10 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod.
• Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small bowl and let stand until the gelatin is moistened, about 5 minutes. Return the saucepan to medium heat and whisk the gelatin mixture into the cream mixture. Bring to a simmer and stir until the gelatin is dissolved.
• Pour the cream mixture into 4 custard cups or ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the panna cotta is set, about 4 hours (or up to overnight).
• About an hour before serving, combine the berries, lemon juice and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl, tossing to coat. Let stand until ready to serve.
• To serve, dip the bottoms of the custard cups in a bowl of very hot water. Run a knife around the edges and unmold the panna cotta onto serving plates. (You can also serve right in the custard cups.) Top with the macerated berries.

CHEF JOHN'S BUTTERMILK PANNA COTTA

Steps:

• Sprinkle gelatin over cold water; stir and let sit 5 or 10 minutes until it thickens and becomes rubbery.
• Pour heavy cream into a saucepan. Whisk in sugar. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture just barely starts to simmer, 3 to 5 minutes. Add lemon peel as mixture is coming up to temperature. As small bubbles begin to appear here and there, remove pan from heat. Add tiny pinch of salt, vanilla, and bloomed gelatin. Whisk until gelatin melts into the cream mixture. Add buttermilk and lemon juice; whisk until blended.
• Strain through fine sieve to remove zest and any lumps. Pour into serving dishes or ramekins. Allow to cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 5 hours or, ideally, overnight.

PANNA COTTA

Steps:

• Pour milk into a small bowl, and stir in the gelatin powder. Set aside.
• In a saucepan, stir together the heavy cream and sugar, and set over medium heat. Bring to a full boil, watching carefully, as the cream will quickly rise to the top of the pan. Pour the gelatin and milk into the cream, stirring until completely dissolved. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and pour into six individual ramekin dishes.
• Cool the ramekins uncovered at room temperature. When cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before serving.