Sometimes the most important lessons are learned from the simplest recipes. It is the same with panna cotta, a famous Italian cream dessert that seems very simple at first glance, but requires a little patience and precision. Food blogger Tatjana Pastuović Klaićthe author of the Instagram profile @tanja.cookamigustamshe recalled her first attempts to prepare this dessert at the end of the nineties, when her cream would not set at all.
– It was the failure of the century! That cream did not want to compress and harden, even though I added gelatin and followed that recipe. The cream was runny! So I took everything out of the bowls, added more gelatin and reheated it a little, poured it into bowls and waited… it was still hopelessly rare. Ok, I ran to the store to get more gelatin… I put it back in the fridge, I had already given up on everything. When everything has set and the cream has finally solidified, the festive moment of tasting has come. And the disappointment of the century. The panna cotta was a rubbery, chewy mixture that also tasted pretty poor. It was only years later that everything became clearer to me. The recipe did not say that the cream must be chilled for hours, especially if you want to serve it upside down – Tatjana recalled her experience, and now she brought a proven recipe for a delicate and creamy panna cotta with vanilla, lime and strawberry dressing, and recorded a video that will make it even easier for you to prepare this Italian classic.
Panna cotta with lime and strawberry topping
Ingredients:
For the panna cotta:
500 ml of sweet cream
200 ml of milk
10 g of gelatin
2 spoons of sugar
1 spoon of honey
1 vanilla pod
grated zest of 1 lime
For the topping:
1 handful of strawberries
3-4 tablespoons of water
2 spoons of sugar
Juice of 1 lime
Preparation:
Pour cold water over the gelatin according to the instructions on the package and leave it to swell for a few minutes.
Pour 200 ml of sweet cream and milk into a bowl with a thick bottom. Add sugar, honey, vanilla seeds and grated lime zest. Heat while stirring until the sugar dissolves. When the mixture boils, cook on low heat for another minute.
Remove from the heat, add the drained gelatin and stir until completely dissolved.
Add the remaining sweet cream, mix and pass through a fine sieve to remove the lime zest. Pour the mixture into the mold or distribute it in six smaller containers.
Allow to cool briefly at room temperature, then place in the refrigerator for at least 5 to 6 hours to cool and firm up. For the topping, put the strawberries in a small bowl and mash them lightly. Add sugar, water and lime juice and cook on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and strain if you want a smooth dressing. For a thicker texture, you can add a little thickener mixed with water. Pour the strawberry topping over the cooled panna cotta and serve.
