Vanilla Panna Cotta with Dark Chocolate Ganache

As the weather gets hotter, so does the kitchen making oven-free desserts ideal, try this no-fail creamy Panna Cotta with rich dark chocolate ganache! Panna Cotta literally translates to cooked cream in Italian and the recipe is just about as simple as the name.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Dark Chocolate Ganache

serves 8
Ingredients for Panna Cotta
3 sheets of gelatin
scant 1/2 cup milk or 120 ml
2  cups or 500 ml heavy cream
1/2 cup or 60 g sugar
1 vanilla bean, slit lengthwise

Fill a bowl with water, add the gelatin and let is soak. Pour milk into a pan & bring to just below simmering, then remove the pan from the heat. Do NOT let it boil. Drain & squeeze out the gelatin & add it to the milk. Pour the cream into another pan, add the sugar and vanilla bean and bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Then remove the pan from the heat, remove the vanilla bean and stir in the milk mixture.

You can put the mixture into any kind of ramekin, mold, cup, you like. Rinse your 'glass' in ice-cold water, shaking out any excess water & fill with the milk mixture. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours until set (at least 3-4 hours). Turn out onto a serving dish & serve with fruit sauce or chocolate sauce.


Ingredients for Chocolate Ganache
4 oz or 100 g dark chocolate 72% or better

3/4 cup or 200 ml heavy cream

In a double boiler melt chocolate bar. Once the chocolate is completely melted, slowly whisk in cream until the desired consistancy is reached.

Drizzle over the top of the panna cotta once on the serving plate.