Light, smooth, and delicately sweet, this Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta is the perfect make-ahead dessert topped with fresh berries for a touch of spring.
Ingredients:
- 1 quart heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped
- 2 1/4 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
- 3 tablespoons water
- Mixed berries, for serving
Directions:
Gather the ingredients (you won't need the berries until you're ready to serve the finished panna cotta).
In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, sugar, vanilla bean, and seeds. Bring the mixture just to a simmer over moderate heat. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand until evenly moistened, about 5 minutes.
Uncover the cream mixture and bring just to a simmer over moderately high heat. Remove from heat, add the gelatin, and stir until dissolved. Remove the vanilla bean and save for another use.
Pour the panna cotta mixture into eight 4-ounce ramekins and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the panna cotta is set but still jiggly, at least 3 hours.
