PANNA COTTA WITH STRAWBERRIES
The strawberry panna cotta recipe is a variant of the classic panna cotta made even more delicious by the presence of fresh fruit in the mixture.
A delicate and fragrant spoon dessert that never goes out of fashion and satisfies everyone, young and old, perfect for any occasion from the most informal to festive menus for its scenic and elegant appearance.
Contrary to popular belief, strawberry panna cotta is a dessert that is as creamy as it is easy to prepare, and you don’t need special pastry skills to make it at home. It also has the huge advantage of being able to be prepared well in advance and brought to the table at the last minute.
Once the mixture is ready, you can decide whether to present it in single servings, perhaps for a standing buffet, or place it in a single mold and serve sliced and decorated.
You can prepare strawberry panna cotta practically all year round, but obviously, if you choose to make it when strawberries are at the peak of their season, the final taste will improve significantly. Moreover, using the same panna cotta recipe, you can replace the strawberries with the fruit you like best!
When presenting it, decorate it with fresh fruit or prepare a strawberry sauce or coulis, or create dollops of whipped cream and, for those with a sweet tooth, I suggest chocolate shavings.
Try this delicious STRAWBERRY PANNA COTTA recipe, I’m almost certain it will become one of your signature dishes!
If you love this kind of dessert, here are other recipes you absolutely must try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter, Spring, Summer
- Energy 526.30 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 42.54 (g) of which sugars 40.03 (g)
- Proteins 4.41 (g)
- Fat 38.90 (g) of which saturated 0.44 (g)of which unsaturated 0.40 (g)
- Fibers 1.52 (g)
- Sodium 4.05 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Homemade Strawberries PANNA COTTA Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups fresh heavy cream
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 cup strawberries (fresh)
- 0.21 oz gelatin sheets
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 pinch vanillin (or vanilla extract)
- 1 cup strawberries (fresh)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon maraschino (optional)
- 1 tablespoon water
Tools
- Small Bowl
- Blender
- Sieve
- Small Pot
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY PANNA COTTA
Before starting the panna cotta recipe, I recommend soaking the gelatin sheets in cold water for a few minutes so that they are ready when you need them.
Clean the strawberries by removing the green stem and rinse them under running water. Transfer them to a blender and blend until a smooth puree is obtained. Strain the mixture through a sieve. Set aside.
In a small pot, heat the milk and 100 ml of cream, they should almost reach a boil. When hot, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Once the sugar is dissolved, add the remaining cream, vanillin, and stir. Remove from the heat and add the squeezed gelatin sheets and the strawberry puree passed through the sieve and mix to combine.
At this point, you can decide to prepare the panna cotta in single servings (in this case divide it into 4 jars) or use a single dish (like a loaf pan) or, as I did, a pudding mold. Obviously, in the case of single servings, it will take less time to set. Place in the fridge to solidify for at least 3 hours (4 or more for single servings).
Cut the strawberries into pieces, blend them in the mixer and pass them through a sieve. Dissolve the sugar in a small pot on the stove with 1 tablespoon of water and, if desired, the maraschino. When the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is about to boil, add the blended and sieved strawberries and stir. Boil the strawberry sauce for panna cotta for about 3 minutes. Turn off and let cool.
After the resting time in the fridge, you can unmold the panna cotta from the molds, or if using a single dish, just cut the solidified panna cotta into squares. Serve in individual portions and top with the strawberry sauce that has cooled in the meantime and some fresh strawberries cut into pieces.
STORAGE
Strawberry panna cotta can be stored in the fridge for a maximum of 3 days. It is not suitable for freezing.
NOTES AND TIPS
GELATIN SHEETS – GELATIN POWDER: You can use agar agar instead of gelatin sheets (gelatin powder). To replace gelatin with agar agar, generally, you use one-third of the amount of gelatin indicated in the recipe. Specifically, 5 grams of agar agar powder corresponds to 1 gelatin sheet.
STRAWBERRIES: Following the same recipe, you can make panna cotta with other types of fruit as long as you maintain the same proportions.
FOOD COLORING: If you want a brighter and more vivid strawberry panna cotta color, you can add a few drops of liquid or gel food coloring to the mixture.
HOW TO UNMOLD PANNA COTTA
When unmolding, immerse each mold in boiling water for a second, taking care not to let the liquid enter. Then turn the mold over onto a serving plate and help eliminate the air void by levering with a knife inserted on the side between the mold and the panna cotta. Do the same if you used a single mold.
ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF THE PANNA COTTA RECIPE
The origin of panna cotta is controversial. It seems to have originated in the Langhe in Piedmont, at the beginning of the 1900s, and it is indeed likely given the abundance of pastures and milk consequently in those areas. According to some, it is a lighter version of the French bavarois, for others, the ancestor of panna cotta would be a Sicilian dessert: the biancomangiare. Legends also tell that it was born in the Langhe by a lady of Hungarian origins.
