Strawberry Pannacotta

Pannacotta is a popular Italian dessert. This is basically a cooked cream dessert generally served with fruit coulis,chocolate, caramel or fresh fruit toppings. This is popular because it is a light and creamy texture and also it is an easy to make dessert.

This dessert is so versatile, you could include your own choices of fruits, chocolate, caramel, fudge ...etc according to your taste. You could add directly in the pannacotta and set them or you can prepare the plain ones like vanilla, honey or lemon flavoured panna cotta and top it with your choices. Best appealing easy to make dessert which suits all kind of celebrations, get together and festivals.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes+ setting time
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Cuisine: Italian
Makes: 3 glasses

INGREDIENTS:

For Vanilla Panna cotta:
Milk-1 cup
Cream/ whipping cream- 2 cups
Gelatin, unflavored- 1 tablespoon
Sugar- 1/2 cup
Salt- pinch

For Strawberry Jelly: (Double the quantity if you use big size glasses)
Strawberry- 8 nos (half packet)
Water- 1/4 cup
Sugar- 1/4 cup
Gelatin, unflavored- 3/4 teaspoons

PROCEDURE:

Vanilla Panacotta:

• In a pan sprinkle the gelatin as a thin layer.
• Add the milk over it and allow to stand for 5 minutes to soak the gelatin.
• Now switch on the gas and cook on low flame and constantly stirring gently with a ladle to prevent sticking at the bottom.

• When the milk get heated up the gelatin dissolves in. Now add the sugar and salt; mix well to dissolve.
• When the milk is about to boil reduce the flame and add the cream and allow the cream to get the heat for a minute (no need to boil); Add in the vanilla essence and switch off the gas.

Strawberry Jelly:(You could prepare this when the first layer is setting inside the fridge)

• Remove the stem of the strawberries deep down and roughly chop them.
• Add the strawberries in a blender jar and finely puree them. Strain the juice to remove the seeds and extract the juice. Add 1/4 cup of water with the pulp which stays on the sieve and pulse inside the blender once again and extract the juice by pressing well with a spoon.

• Add the collected juice on a pan and sprinkle the gelatin as a tin layer and allow to stand for 5 minutes to soak up the gelatin.
• Now switch on the gas and cook this mixture till it gets  bright red colour for a minute or two like a thin pour-able liquid.

• Switch off the gas and keep it aside.

Assembling: (Check each layer set or not and proceed to next layer)

• In a plain glass or any mould, first add the (white) milk and cream mixture equally to all the glasses.
• Then arrange the glasses slantingly on a muffin tray. Keep the glasses inside the chiller for 2 hours (or)freezer for about half an hour to one hour till the panna cotta sets.
• Then pour about one to two tablespoons of strawberry jelly mixture, tilt the glass gently to reach till the bottom and allow to set slantingly on a muffin tray for one hour in chiller or half an hour in freezer.

• Pour one to two tablespoons of white milk and cream mixture, tilt the glass gently to reach till the bottom and allow to set slantingly on a muffin tray for one hour in chiller (or) half an hour in freezer.
• Again pour one to two tablespoons of strawberry jelly mixture, tilt the glass gently to reach till the bottom and allow to set slantingly on a muffin tray for one hour in chiller (or) half an hour in freezer.
• Now pour the milk and cream mixture just below the rim of the glass and set the glasses straight position. As it has more quantity allow to set inside the chiller for two hours (or) freezer for an hour.

• Add the strawberry jelly till the top of the rim and set the glasses straight. Allow to set for one hour in chiller (or) half an hour in freezer.
• Proceed to next layer once the previous layer is well set.
• Do not add hot mixture over any layer which destroys the pattern.
• To get nice pattern always keep the glasses in the same slanting position.
• You could use muffin tray or even bowl to set the panna cotta in a slanting pattern.