1. Panna cotta is a typical Italian dessert but it was originally born in the Piemonte region, specifically in the Langhe area in the 1900s. It is a dessert made with SIMPLE INGREDIENTS: heavy cream, milk, sugar and gelatine.

Here’s the recipe for 4 small molds (around 150 ml or 5 oz):

500 ml (17 oz) heavy cream

1 vanilla bean

8 g (1.6 tsp) gelatine sheets

80 g (5.3 tbsp) sugar

• First, soak the gelatine sheets in cold water for about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Get the vanilla bean, slice it open in half and with a knife extract the seeds.
• In a small saucepan, put the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla seeds and vanilla bean. Heat it in low fire until it almost reach boiling point. Close the fire and remove the vanilla bean with a kitchen tweezer.
• Get the gelatine, squeeze excess waterand place it in the saucepan. Whisk the gelatine with the heavy cream until it is completely melted.
• Get the molds and divide the mixture in it. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours.
• To serve, soak the mold for 5 seconds in hot water to easily remove it.

And there you have it, your panna cotta base. Panna cotta without any topping, can be preserved for 3 to 5 days in the fridge. You can also freeze it, just be sure to remove it the day before you plan to eat it.

2. This dessert is excellent for those who want to express their CREATIVITY because you can put different toppings. Originally panna cotta was served only with caramel. The chefs used to place caramel in the molds then they would put the panna cotta. Nowadays, it is one of the Italian dessert that has many variation. It can be served with forest fruits, melted chocolate, caramel, you can also add some crushed pistacchio, crushed amaretto biscuits, lemon zest or even aromatic herbs.

Personally I like to prepare a liquid topping then I would garnish it with anything I feel like adding at the moment.

Here’s the recipe to make your own topping:

50 g (3.3 tbsp) sugar

250 g (16.6 tbsp) of any fruit you like (preferably soft fruits)

2 tbsp lemon juice

• First, cook your fruit of choice in a non stick pan for about 2 to 3 min on low heat or until the fruit has released all its water content.
• Then add the sugar and the filtered lemon juice. Whisk until all the ingredients are nicely stirred and cook for another minute on low heat. Filter it to remove any seeds and it’s ready.

If you’re going to use fresh fruit, just cut the ripe fruits into cubes and place it in a blender. Blend it into a puree then add lemon juice. Filter it and add sugar. whisk and it is ready for use.

3. I love this dessert because it is PERFECT FOR THE SUMMER. You can prepare them in batches, freeze them and thaw what you need the day before. So I hope you try this very easy dessert and get creative!