Panna Cotta

This summer I purchased Mexican vanilla bean from Voladores Vanilla, which sells vanilla beans grown by a cooperative of growers in Papantla, Veracruz--the birthplace of vanilla. When it arrived and I opened up the package, I wasn't prepared for how fragrant and unique this product actually is! It blew my mind. I knew I needed to make something to shows off just how amazing Mexican vanilla is.

I chose to make a panna cotta. It feels like a perfect intersection of my background to use Mexican ingredients in an Italian application.

Perhaps my favorite part of panna cotta is that you can garnish it however you want. It becomes a vehicle for an endless combination of flavor and texture. The panna cotta below is topped with prickly pear sauce, plum wedges, blueberries, almonds, puffed amaranth, pink peppercorn, and mint. But, a simple chopped fruit garnish would've been delicious, too!

A note on making panna cotta: don’t boil your cream mixture! Don’t even let it simmer too long. If the mixture gets too hot then you’re more likely to have a panna cotta that separates when it cools. If that happens, the cream that floats to the top is still edible and delicious. The runnier parts that sink to the bottom are also yummy, but aren’t ideal if you’re removing the panna cotta from its mold.

I highly recommend checking out Voladores Vanilla and consider purchasing your own Mexican vanilla. Every purchase supports small farmers in Veracruz and ensures that this fantastic culinary tradition is kept alive.

Provecho!

 
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Ingredients

  • 6 1/2 cups heavy cream

  • 2 cups milk

  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

  • 2" piece of vanilla bean, split lengthwise

  • 1 piece of orange peel

  • 6 gelatin leaves

Instructions

  • Put 2/3 cup of milk in a separate bowl, add leaf gelatin to soak for 10 minutes.

  • Add cream, 1 1/3 cup milk, sugar, salt, vanilla, and orange peel to saucepan. On low heat, stir occasionally and bring to a light simmer. Remove from heat.

  • Add gelatin and milk to cream mixture, bring up to 125 degrees F and stir to dissolve gelatin. Remove from heat when gelatin and sugar are fully dissolved.

  • Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring jar.

  • Pour mixture into whatever you've chosen to use for your panna cotta dish.

  • Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least four hours and up to three days.

 
Gino Garciadessert, panna cotta, vanilla, recipe, summer, fruitComment