Panna Cotta with Berry Compote

Panna cotta is about as simple and versatile as a dessert gets, basically consisting of just cream, sugar, and gelatin with a fruit on top. Originating in Northern Italy, the name just means "cooked cream". It's definitely my favorite to dessert to follow a light pizza and salad dinner on summer evenings. Of course, it isn't summer now, but berries were on sale and it doesn't take much to convince me to make some variation of this dessert. (Speaking of variations, pomegranates, strawberries, even earl grey tea are among my favorites on panna cotta.) 

This berry compote is really just a lightly cooked berry jam. And the best part is that this whole dessert barely takes 10 minutes to put together and then just goes in the refrigerator for a few hours. Perfect for dinner parties, when you can't imagine trying to get the timing right on a hot dessert after dinner. Which is all dinner parties, for me.

Ingredients

1 packet powdered gelatin (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1/2 cup fresh blackberries

2 tablespoons sugar

Warm water

Panna Cotta

Lightly coat pastry molds or ramekins with neutral-tasting oil. (I use coconut oil on a paper towel, but make sure to use very little so you don’t end up with flakes of hard coconut oil on your finished product.) 

Dissolve 2 teaspoons of the gelatin in a small dish with 2 tablespoon of warm water.

Heat the cream, confectioner's sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Heat until very warm, but do not allow it to boil. Stir in the gelatin until it dissolves. Set aside to cool completely.

Pour the cream into molds or ramekins, dividing evenly. Chill for at least 4 hours.

To serve, dip the molds in very hot water for about 30 seconds (careful not to submerge). Run a small offset spatula or blade of a small, sharp knife around the edges of the panna cotta, then invert onto plates.

Berry Compote

Gently mash fresh berries in a small saucepan and combine with 1/4 cup water. Add 2 tablespoons sugar. Heat on medium, while you dissolve remaining 1/2 teaspoon of gelatin in 1 tablespoon of warm water. Add gelatin to berries and stir well to combine. Cool, then refrigerate until a jelly consistency is reached.

Spoon berry compote onto panna cotta, and serve.

6 Servings