Panna cotta is an Italian dessert made from sweetened cream set with gelatine. The name means cooked cream, although the cream is usually heated gently rather than boiled.
It is associated especially with Piedmont and northern Italian cooking. A good panna cotta should be set enough to hold its shape but soft enough to tremble and melt smoothly.
Ingredients
The basic ingredients are:
- cream;
- sugar;
- gelatine;
- vanilla or another flavouring.
Some recipes use part milk, add rum or Marsala, or replace vanilla with coffee, citrus, chocolate or fruit. The more gelatine is used, the firmer and less delicate the dessert becomes.
Method
The gelatine is softened in cold water. Cream and sugar are warmed with flavouring, then the gelatine is dissolved into the warm mixture. The mixture is poured into moulds or glasses and chilled until set.
Panna cotta is often served with caramel, berries, fruit coulis, chocolate, coffee sauce or citrus. It can be unmoulded onto a plate or served directly in a glass.
Origin
The exact origin is uncertain. La Cucina Italiana describes panna cotta as originating in Piedmont, while recipe histories often note that written appearances are relatively modern compared with older Italian desserts.
Because the history is not fully settled, the safest wording is that panna cotta is a northern Italian dessert strongly associated with Piedmont rather than a dish with one proved inventor.
Texture
Texture is the main test of the dessert. It should be smooth, cool and lightly set. If it is rubbery, it usually contains too much gelatine. If it collapses, it was not set firmly enough or was unmoulded too early.
See Also
References
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