from Piedmont, Italy
Vanilla Panna Cotta
A trembling, honeyed cloud with berry compote
a note before you start
Five ingredients, ten minutes of hands-on time, dinner-party miracle.
the market
Grocery
list.
Quantities scale live as you change the servings dial (bottom right).
- 012 cupsHeavy cream
- 021 cupWhole milk
- 03⅜ cupGranulated sugar
- 041 podVanilla bean, split
- 052 tspUnflavored gelatin powder
- 063 tbspCold water
- 071 cupMixed berries, for serving
now, the cooking
One step at a time.
Step 1 of 6· 5 min
Bloom gelatin
Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a small bowl. Let sit 5 minutes until spongy.
Step 2 of 6· 6 min
Warm the cream
Combine cream, milk, sugar, and scraped vanilla bean in a saucepan. Warm gently — do not boil — until sugar dissolves.
Step 3 of 6· 1 min
Dissolve gelatin
Off the heat, whisk in the bloomed gelatin until fully melted. Fish out the vanilla pod.
Step 4 of 6· 30 min
Divide
Pour into 6 ramekins or glasses. Cool on the counter 30 minutes.
Step 5 of 6· 240 min
Chill firmly
Refrigerate at least 4 hours until set — the surface should tremble when nudged, not slosh.
Step 6 of 6· 2 min
Serve
Spoon berries over the top, or dip the ramekin briefly in warm water and invert onto a plate.
chef’s tip
“Not enough gelatin? Rubbery? Aim for a wobble like a Victorian ghost — barely holding shape.”