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Panna cotta, which means “cooked cream,” is a classic Italian dessert. Or it is in its traditional form. These days, chefs are taking the pale custard to new heights. At San Francisco’s Credo, for example, they infuse the cream with fresh rosemary and top it with pickled blueberries. In Palo Alto, Calif., Saint Michaels blends it with Meyer lemons and blackberries. And at Absinthe in San Francisco, Bill Corbett is doing a buttermilk version with roasted strawberries and basil meringue.
Home cooks might not go to quite those lengths, but there’s no denying the dinner party appeal of a dish that can be made the night before and adapted to fit any taste or occasion.
At its most basic, panna cotta is a milky blend – of buttermilk and cream, for example, or goat milk – that gets its set from gelatin. There are no eggs, and flavorings are minimal, so the flavors are clean and light. Unlike its baked cousins, flan and crme brlée, this custard thickens in the refrigerator, while the chef walks away, cool as a cucumber.
Last winter, sous chef Kate Kiernoziak began infusing panna cotta with fresh herbs at Credo, starting with sage and lemon, when the fruit pickings were slim. In August, bringing in seasonal notes is a breeze.
“I wanted to do something that was a little bit unique, and I began noticing a lot of herb usage in desserts,” she says. “The one I’ve just started playing with is rosemary panna cotta with pickled blueberries. I’m Eastern European in background, so I pickle a lot of things and find ways to incorporate them in sweet dishes. There’s a little essence of rosemary, a hint in the blueberries, too.”
Despite the cream at its base, panna cotta strikes a delightfully light note, which Kiernoziak says is appreciated by diners and cooks.
“It’s not like tiramisu, which feels like you’re eating a bowl of mascarpone cheese and cream,” Kiernoziak says. “And it’s very easy to make, even for an inexperienced cook”
The simplicity appeals to Michael Zeiter, the new executive chef at Patrick David’s in Danville, Calif. And, he agrees, it’s nearly fail-safe. There are very few ingredients, no eggs to curdle and no chance of overbaking because it doesn’t venture anywhere near an oven.
It also is a perfect foil for summer’s bounty.
“The beautiful thing is it’s a tasty, creamy base that can be built around anything,” Zeiter says. “That’s part of the joy of it for me. It lends itself to farm-fresh berries and compotes, vanilla beans. I’ve got to have those specks of vanilla floating in there.”
Zeiter, whose résumé includes stints at New York’s James Beard House, infuses his custard with vanilla bean pods and seeds, then serves the finished panna cotta with fresh berries.
“We handpick the berries – blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, as well as strawberries,” he says. “I cook them down with a little bit of sugar and Prosecco and make a purée, and the fresh berries are dressed with that. It’s my own summer fruit Melba.”
Panna Cotta With Strawberries
Serves 12
1 envelope (1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup milk
4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
2-inch piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3 tablespoons light rum
Fruit:
4 cups strawberries
1/4 cup sugar, or as needed
Sprinkle the gelatin over the milk and let stand 5 minutes to soften.
Combine the cream and 3/4 cup sugar. Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape the vanilla seeds into the cream, then add the pod. Place over medium heat; stir until the cream just starts to simmer. Off heat, add gelatin mixture; stir to dissolve completely. Cool 10 minutes.
Remove vanilla pod. Stir in rum. Divide mixture among 1/2-cup ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap; chill until set, about 8 hours.
About an hour before serving, combine half of the berries with 1/4-cup sugar, and crush with a fork. Slice remaining strawberries and add to the bowl. Toss to combine. Taste and add sugar, if needed. Cover and chill until serving.
To unmold, set each ramekin in enough warm water to reach halfway up the sides. Let stand 20 seconds. Remove from water, wipe dry, then place a serving plate on top and invert. Shake gently until the custard comes loose. (You may need to run a small knife around the inside edge of the cup to loosen.) Spoon berries around the creams and serve.
Source: Chuck Williams and Kristine Kidd, “Williams-Sonoma Cooking at Home” (Weldon Owen, 640 pages, $34.95) Buttermilk Panna Cotta With Berries
Serves 6
2 tablespoons water
1-1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Assorted berries
Pour 2 tablespoons water into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Lightly spray six 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups with nonstick spray.
Heat cream, lemon peel and sugar in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring just to low boil, stirring occasionally. Add gelatin mixture; remove from heat. Stir until gelatin dissolves. Cool mixture to lukewarm, stirring often.
Stir in buttermilk and vanilla; divide mixture among prepared ramekins. Refrigerate panna cotta until set, about 4 hours or overnight.
Serve in ramekins, topped with berries. Or, using a small sharp knife, cut around panna cotta in each ramekin. Invert onto individual plates, allowing panna cotta to settle onto plate. Top with berries and serve.
Source: Courtesy of Sara Foster, Bon Appetit magazine, Epicurious.com Cream Cheese Panna Cotta With Pluot Sauce
Serves 24
Notes: Pluots are complex hybrid fruits that are part plum and part apricot in heritage.
“Blooming” the gelatin – letting it soak for 3-5 minutes – helps ensure a smooth final result.
6 cups half-and-half
6 cups cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 teaspoons green cardamom pods, toasted and crushed
16 grams rosemary, stemmed and bruised
16 gelatin sheets, bronze, bloomed in ice water
3-3/4 cups cream cheese
2 cups superfine sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
1 cup pluot sauce (see recipe)
Sliced pluots
Heat the half-and-half and cream gently to 150-160 degrees. Add salt, cardamom and rosemary and let the flavors infuse for 30 minutes.
Thoroughly drain the gelatin sheets and place them in a large bowl. Warm the cream mixture again and pour through a fine sieve, over the gelatin. Whisk until melted. Set aside to cool.
In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla paste until creamy and smooth.
Remove from mixer and whisk in the cooled, infused cream. Pass again through a fine sieve and fill ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
When ready to serve, dip ramekins, one at a time, into a bowl of hot water for 3 seconds. Run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin and invert ramekin onto center of a small plate. Garnish each panna cotta with 1 tablespoon pluot sauce and slices of fresh pluot.
PLUOT SAUCE
2-1/2 pounds pluots
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Slice three pluots into slim wedges, 12 each.
Peel and chop the remaining pluots. Add the juice, sugar and vanilla, and cook in a saucepan over medium heat until syrupy. Let cool, then puree. Stir the pluot slices into the sauce.
Source: Courtesy of Patti Dellamonica-Bauler, pastry chef, Lark Creek Restaurant Group Rosemary Panna Cotta With Pickled Blueberries
Serves 8
Note: At Credo, this panna cotta is served with a drizzled balsamic reduction. Allow 3 days to pickle the blueberries.
Pickled blueberries:
3 cups red wine
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 sprig rosemary
1 basket or more blueberries
Rosemary panna cotta:
6 sheets of gelatin
1 quart heavy cream
1/4 cup rosemary, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
Sterilize a 1.5 liter Mason jar and lid in boiling water
Bring vinegar, wine and sugar to a boil. Place blueberries and rosemary in the jar. Pour the hot vinegar mixture into the jar so it completely covers the berries. Seal jar immediately, and let rest 3 days.
Start the panna cotta by soaking the gelatin sheets in cold water.
In a saucepan, bring cream and rosemary to a boil; turn off heat. Add sugar.
Remove softened gelatin from water, squeeze out excess liquid, then stir into the cream.
Pour cream mixture through a strainer into eight 4-ounce ramekins. Chill overnight, or until set.
Serve each panna cotta topped with 8 pickled blueberries and, if you wish, a drizzle of balsamic reduction.
Source: Kate Kiernoziak, sous chef, Credo restaurant, San Francisco Leaf gelatin: Professional chefs often use these clear gelatin sheets, which are classified as bronze, silver, etc., depending upon strength. Find them at specialty stores and online at Amazon.com. Leaf gelatin must be softened in water, then drained before using.
Gelatin powder: Most home cooks use powdered gelatin, such as Knox. An envelope – about 1 tablespoon – is the equivalent of four sheets of gelatin. The powder is softened in a small amount of liquid, then both liquid and gelatin are added to the recipe.
Alternatives: Some chefs, including Patrick David’s Michael Zeiter, use carrageenan-kappa, a seaweed extract, to thicken panna cotta. The vegetarian-friendly substance is available at some specialty shops and online at lepicerie.com.
