Strawberry Panna Cotta

The first time I had panna cotta was at a Japanese restaurant. Though it is an Italian dessert, the one I had was still so good. It had the right balance of creaminess and sweetness but it was still very light. I looked for recipes online and they are very simple and leave you with a lot of rooms to be creative. I started with using heavy cream but I found it was too creamy so I decided to use half & half. The texture was creamy enough and it was much lighter, the way I preferred.

So here is my take on this delicious panna cotta.

Ingredients:

1 small package of tasteless/colorless gelatin
1/4 cup skim milk
2 cups half & half (substitute with heavy cream for creamier texture)
1/4 cup white sugar

1 tbsp condensed milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 package strawberry jello (optional)

Directions:

1. Make a bowl of strawberry jello and pour about 1-2 tablespoons into each ramekins. Refrigerate until they set.

2. In a small bowl, mix gelatin with skim milk and set aside.

3. Combine half & half with sugar in a small size saucepan over a medium heat and bring it to simmer. Add condensed milk and the gelatin mixture, bring it to boil. Make sure to keep stirring or the liquid might flow over when boiled.

4. Turn off the stove and let the mixture cool down a little before mixing in vanilla extract.

5. Pour the liquid into the prepared ramekins. Make sure that the strawberry jello is set, otherwise the strawberry mixture will get mix with the cream mixture. Refrigerate them over night.

6. Serve with fresh fruits or fruit sauce. I had made some raspberry sauce. They are great together.

I'm going to try making a chocolate one next!