Dessert

Panna Cotta with Berry Sauce

A traditional, chilled Italian custard that tastes amazing and is really easy to make!

Panna Cotta is a traditional, chilled Italian custard that is so amazing! It is also SO easy to make, cooked in just about 15 minutes, and topped with ripe red fruits such as raspberries, strawberries, or sweet cherries. This can be made in advance and is perfect for entertaining! Serve it in wine glasses at your next dinner party, or in tiny shot glasses for a larger gathering or party (post COVID, of course!).

Panna Cotta with Berry Sauce

Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Keyword berries, panna cotta
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Refrigerated Time 4 hours
Servings 6

Ingredients

Panna Cotta

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 ½ tsp unflavored gelatin (1 packet Knox gelatin)
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • ½ cup + 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • Pinch of Kosher salt
  • Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Berry Sauce

  • 2 cups berries divided (I used all raspberries but think it would be good with half raspberries, half quartered strawberries.)
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
  • ½ tbsp lemon juice

Preparation

Panna Cotta

  1. 1. Off the heat, place 1 cup milk in a medium sauce pan and sprinkle the top with 1 packet gelatin. Let stand 3-5 min or until gelatin is softened. Place pan over medium/low heat and stir until gelatin dissolves and mixture is steaming, about 4-5 min (do not boil).

  2. 2. Add 2 cups heavy whipping cream, ½ cup + 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and a pinch of salt. Continue stirring about 5 min until sugar is fully dissolved and mixture is steaming (do not boil). Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.

  3. 3. Place sour cream in a medium bowl with a pouring lip. Whisking constantly, gradually add warm cream. Once the mixture is completely smooth, divide it into 6 wine glasses or ramekins. Refrigerate until fully set; 4 to 6 hours.

Berry Sauce

  1. 1. In a small sauce pan, combine 1 cup berries, ½ Tbsp lemon juice and 3 Tbsp sugar. Bring to a low boil and cook 4-5 min or until syrupy.

  2. 2. Stir in remaining 1 cup of fresh berries and remove from heat. When syrup is at room temp or just barely warm, spoon it over the top of chilled Panna Cottas.

Recipe Notes

  • I love the berry sauce, made from strawberries, raspberries and/or cherries, lemon juice and a bit of sugar. But this would also be good topped with shaved chocolate, hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, sliced peaches, or diced mangos.

  • I had a hard time finding in-stock unflavored gelatin in stock in the grocery store. I ended up purchasing some on on Amazon.

Bon Appétit!
xx—BB

1 comment on “Panna Cotta with Berry Sauce

  1. Dallas Wine Chick

    MY FAVORITE! I made this and it was delicious. I added strawberries and blackberries, also.

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