STRAWBERRY PANNA COTTA WITH A STRAWBERRY COULIS…the one that wouldn’t oblige!

My favourite dessert of all time is a panna cotta. Panna cotta, an Italian dessert, which literally means cooked cream, is luxurious & creamy, eggless & sensual. In winter, we like a deep dark chocolate panna cotta. Come summer & I’m all for fruity flavour.

With winter on it’s last legs here, throwing up the odd cold front now & again, strawberries are flooding the market. Good fresh strawberries are available for a shortish period of time, & then they kind of perish in the heat. I made a panna cotta with strawberries the other day because I had 2 boxes in the fridge. Besides, a panna cotta tune was building up in my head!

Panna cotta is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. An Italian phrase which literally means “cooked cream”, it generally refers to a creamy, set dessert from the Northern Italian region of Piedmont. It is eaten all over Italy where it is served with wild berries, caramel, chocolate sauce or fruit coulis.

As a couple of times in the past, the panna cotta was not very obliging in nature, & didn’t want to leave it’s ‘maker‘. My attempts to dislodge it from the ramekin ended in a resounding & heart-breaking PLOP! I shovelled it back in & left it to set overnight, but to no avail. Maybe it was the strength of the gelatin, as I tried a different brand this time. If you are willing to dive into a bowl of panna cotta, rather than elegantly cutting an inverted ‘like-it-should-be’ dessert, then this is seriously good stuff. Not to be discouraged by the unset panna cotta, I served them in the ramekins eventually, topped with a delicious strawberry coulis!

PURE BLISS! The gentle caressing sweetness of the panna cotta was heightened by the sweet fruity strawberry coulis…sublime & to be made again & again, if only it didn’t use so much cream. The only thing that keeps me away from making a panna cotta often is calories! It’s the best dessert otherwise! Next in my line of vision is a Yogurt Panna Cotta that Vera @ Baking Obsession posted the other day. It has me obsessed!

STRAWBERRY PANNA COTTA with STRAWBERRY COULIS
Ingredients:
600ml cream (25% fat)
200 ml whole milk
2 1/2 tsps gelatin
200gms Strawberries; pureed & strained
1/2 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
Method:

• Bring the cream & milk to a simmering boil over low heat, simmer for 5-7 minutes.
• In the meantime, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup of milk, & place over hot water for gelatin to melt.
• Take cream mixture off heat, cool slightly, & stir in strawberry puree & gelatin. Whisk well so that the gelatin is mixed uniformly. Adjust sugar if required. Strain & pour into 8 1/2 cup ramekins/ bowls (rinsed just before with cold water for easy release).
• Chill until set for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
• Note: Mine never released cleanly, so we ate them out of the bowls… But, O boy, was the panna cotta good or what! YUM!! Serve with strawberry coulis.

STRAWBERRY COULIS
Ingredients:
100gms Strawberries
2-3 tbsps sugar
Method:

• Blend strawberries & strain. Add Castor sugar & adjust for sweetness. Put into pan, bring to boil, & simmer for 3-4 minutes.
• Cool, strain & chill. Spoon over panna cotta. Leave to set, or serve immediately.
• Note: This makes a thick coulis which sets well on top of the panna cotta. if you prefer a runnier one, boil the mixture with 2-3 tbsps of water. Cool, chill & reserve until needed.