Vanilla Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Strawberries is a refreshingly light yet extremely popular Italian dessert. Literally translated as "cooked cream", this is a rich and creamy custard, topped with berries, caramel or chocolate sauce. When I heard about it for the first time, I was skeptical; pepper and vinegar in a dessert?! doesn't sound very inviting. But I courageously tasted it at a cafe once, and I have to tell you that I was impressed! The sweet and creamy pudding was rich and delicious, and the balsamic strawberry dressing indeed added an element of spice; with just a tiny hint of black pepper, it beautifully compliments the sweetness of the custard. Playing around with flavors, I tweaked the classic traditional recipe with some interesting additions to give you my version of the divine dessert - Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis!

I took inspiration from Chef Mario Batali's Panna Cotta with Strawberries recipe, but modified the strawberry sauce considerably by adding orange zest and mint, and reducing the amount of black pepper and balsamic vinegar. I also added some cardamom powder to my Panna Cotta, and used greek-style yogurt instead of plain whole-milk. Overall, this recipe is a sure-shot winner, and definitely makes for a sophisticated yet easy dessert for dinner parties! And it looks extremely pretty too! This strawberry dessert is on its way to Cooksister's WTSIM-Berries event! check out some cool recipe variations at the end of this post!

Ingredients

Panna Cotta
2 tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 cups whipping cream
1 1/4 cup greek style yogurt (or whole-milk)
1 tspn vanilla extract
1/2 tspn cardamom powder
1/2 cup sugar

Strawberry Sauce
10-12 medium strawberries - hulled & sliced
2 tbsp sugar
3-4 mint leaves
1/4 tsp orange zest
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
1/4 tspn finely ground black pepper (optional)

Method

Vanilla Panna Cotta
Pour 2 tbsp warm water into a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water. Let it stand until softened, about 15 minutes.

Whisk 1 cup cream, yogurt/milk, and vanilla and cardamom in large bowl to blend.

Heat the remaining 1 cup cream and 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and cream comes to simmer. Remove from heat and set aside. Add the gelatin mixture to the cream, stirring continuously to dissolve the gelatin.

Now mix the hot cream & gelatin mixture into the yogurt mixture in bowl. Divide the mixture among six ramekins or moulds, using about 1/2 cup for each. Refrigerate desserts uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Dressing the Strawberries
Toss the strawberries, vinegar, sugar, orange zest, mint leaves and pepper in large bowl to combine. Let stand 30 minutes, tossing occasionally, to allow the fruit to macerate and soak the flavors. Adjust sugar according to your taste if needed, then cover it with cling wrap and keep it refrigerated until serving time.

When ready to serve, unmould the panna-cotta by inverting on a dessert plate. Remove the mint leaves from the strawberry sauce. Gently layer the custard with the sauce and garnish with a fresh sprig of mint if needed.

Variations: You can also puree the strawberries and add it to the panna cotta mixture to make Strawberry Panna Cotta. Add a hint of orange zest to the cream mixture instead of cardamom. Or use some other essence like almond or saffron. Feel free to experiment with your choice of flavors or fruits for the topping.

Panna Cotta & Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar is a popular dessert at many restaurants. It serves to be a light yet elegant and easy dessert at several occasions. The dressing in the strawberries compliments the sweetness of the pudding, at the same time giving it a unique sweet and spicy taste that lingers long after you have finished your dessert!

Related Recipes:
Low-Fat Strawberry-Vanilla Cake
Mixed-Berry & White CHocolate Bread Pudding
Traditional Vanilla Pound Cake