Sweet, creamy, and luscious, this Panna Cotta With Berry Sauce is incredibly easy to make yet elegant and delicious. You’re going to love the combo of sweet and creamy panna cotta and tangy berry sauce. It’s a perfect dessert for a romantic dinner for 2 or a crowd. It’s seriously the best make-ahead dessert!
PANNA COTTA WITH BERRY SAUCE
HEY BABES!! Today I have this luscious Panna Cotta With Berry Sauce for you. OMG. You’re going to *love* the combo of sweet and creamy panna cotta + tangy berry sauce, it’s just *so* good!
And while this dessert looks super fancy, it’s actually incredibly easy to make.
Oh, and the best thing: it *has* to be made ahead. So if you’re looking for a stress-free dessert that will still impress your other half or a crowd (I’m looking at you, Holidays), this panna cotta with berry sauce is exactly what you’re looking for!
WHAT IS EXACTLY PANNA COTTA?
Let’s start with this: what does panna cotta mean in Italian? It means “cooked cream” and that’s exactly what panna cotta is. YUP. It sounds like a really fancy name but it’s really not, they actually kept things straight to the point because panna cotta is literally cooked cream + milk, sugar, vanilla, and gelatin. Super simple but oh-so-delicious!
Fun fact, Panna cotta was invented in Piedmont (northern Italy) but no one knows exactly when it was invented lol.
WHAT DOES PANNA COTTA TASTE LIKE?
Think of creme caramel or pudding, but slightly creamier. Now take the simple yet rich flavor of homemade whipped cream and apply it to the texture of creme caramel: *that* is panna cotta. Now add some slightly tangy berry sauce on top and imagine this whole thing melting in your mouth.
There you have it. It’s *SO* good!
It’s creamy with a slight jiggle. So is panna cotta like creme brulee, like a flan, pudding, creme caramel? SORTA. The texture is similar. However, panna cotta is EGGLESS while puddings and creme caramel or creme brulee contain eggs.
HOW MANY DAYS AHEAD CAN YOU MAKE PANNA COTTA?
Panna cotta *has* to be made in advance because it needs time to set. It should sit in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours, or until completely set (if the center jiggles or it looks wet on top, it’s not ready yet).
You can make it up to 2 days ahead, just keep it covered in the refrigerator and pull it out when you’re ready to serve it.
HOW LONG DOES PANNA COTTA KEEP IN THE FRIDGE?
Panna cotta can be stored covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I don’t think it’ll last that long though 😛
HOW DO YOU SERVE PANNA COTTA
Restaurants usually remove the panna cotta from its cup and serve it onto a plate but look, if you don’t have molds or don’t want to deal with that, you can serve it in a cup and everyone will still love it.
I’ve always been served it in glass cups, my mom has been doing the same ever since and no one has ever complained: it’s easy, it’s quick, it’s pretty, literally no one cares how you serve it, they just want it to eat it lol.
You can use glasses, even wine glasses (fancy!!), shot glasses, whatever you have, really.
PRO TIP – If you want to use molds though, make sure to dip them in warm water for 10 seconds before running a very thin knife around the edge of each mold to detach the panna cotta from the mold, then invert it onto a small plate. Be suuuper gentle when doing this!
BEST TOPPINGS FOR PANNA COTTA
Berry sauce lol.
No seriously, here are some great alternatives:
- Caramel
- Dulce the Leche
- Lemon curd
- Hazelnut spread
- Nutella
- Ganache
- Your favorite preserve
- Other fruits (diced mango, cantaloupe, peaches, figs + honey…)
Just keep in mind that rich toppings like ganache or Nutella will overpower the delicate flavor of panna cotta!
HAPPY BAKING BABES!! I hope you’ll love my Panna Cotta With Berry Sauce just as much as I do! Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating if you make it! I LOVE hearing from you! <3
HEY! YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE MY:
Panna Cotta with Berry Sauce
Ingredients
For the panna cotta
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 1 tbsp powdered unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup half and half
- 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the berry sauce
- 2 cups mixed berries of choice I used blueberries and raspberries
- 3 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 8 or more sour cherries optional, for decorating
Instructions
For the panna cotta
- In a small saucepan, add gelatin and cold water, mix, and set aside for a minute then place over low heat and allow the gelatin to melt and dissolve completely. Remove from heat.
- In a large saucepan, combine heavy cream, half and half, and sugar, then place over medium heat and allow the mixture to come to a boil, stirring continuously. Don't walk away from the panna cotta!
- Remove from heat and add the gelatin mixture and vanilla extract to your panna cotta, stir until completely combined. Pour the panna cotta into glass cups, glasses, or ramekins. Allow to cool down to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and pop in the refrigerator to set and chill. Refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours or overnight.
- If serving in glasses or glass cups, remove from the refrigerator, top with berry sauce and serve. If serving reverted onto a plate, remove from the refrigerator, dip each ramekin into a bowl of warm water for 10 seconds, carefully run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin and invert onto a small plate, top with berry sauce and serve.
For the berry sauce
- In a medium saucepan, add berries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook on medium heat until berries begin to soften and the sauce has thickened (around 2 minutes). Strain through a fine-meshed sieve for a smoother texture. Allow to cool down to room temperature. Add your berry sauce to the panna cotta right before serving.
Notes
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