Why didn’t anyone tell me panna cotta was so easy to make? Okay, let’s forget about how easy and quick it is to assemble, and why no one told me how tasty it is! Creamy, luscious, and silky texture, yaas! I’ve seen Giada talking about it on Everyday Italian for years. I’ve had gelatin sheets I brought from Modernist Pantry sitting in my drawer for months never used. So I finally made the leap to put them to use.
Lemon Panna Cotta Recipe
Panna Cotta is Italian for “cooked cream” and basically is cream/milk heated, flavored, and thickened with gelatin. I used gelatin sheets, but powdered gelatin can be used as well. This recipe is adapted from Cooks Illustrated, because how can they ever go wrong?
This paired wonderfully with my pomegranate rosé syrup. The texture from the crunchy, tart, and sweet pomegranate seeds, with the creamy lemony panna cotta, was just the perfect mouthfeel. I cannot wait to make this again and use a fruit syrup that represents the seasons. I hope y’all enjoy this dessert as much as I did and please let me know!
Recipe Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 2 3/4 teaspoons gelatin
- 1 vanilla bean split in half or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- pinch of kosher salt
- zest of one lemon
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Instructions for Cooking Process
- Gather your molds/ramekins and place aside. Take your cup of milk and sprinkle gelatin on top to let hydrate, place aside.
- Over medium heat, add cream, vanilla bean (split and scrape seeds), sugar and salt
- Let the vanilla steep in the heavy cream and then add the milk with the gelatin to the pot. Heat until mixture registers 135 degrees on a thermometer.
- Remove from heat, strain mixture, then add lemon juice and zest. Stir and divide into ramekins. Place in refrigerator until set, roughly 4 hours.