fancy shmancy & always ahead of time

Panna Cotta is a fancy Italian dessert, and essentially, it means “cooked cream”. Think of a mix between ice cream, and your favorite mousse. It’s so heavenly, and the perfect blend of cool+sweet. Chocolate lover? Yeah, you will most def love this recipie. The best part of it is, its very straightforward, and you can make it much ahead of the time you actually plan on serving it!

(Recipe taken from The Italian Dish)


1.5 cups whole milk

4 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin

good quality cocoa powder, 2 to 4 tablespoons

chocolate and white chocolate bars, for garnish

4.5 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt



-Put the milk in a medium saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over the milk. Let it stand for about 5 minutes to soften. Turn heat to medium and stir milk just until the gelatin dissolves.

-Add the cream, sugar and salt. Whisk in the cocoa powder until you get the amount of chocolate you like. Whisk over low heat until the sugar completely dissolves, just a few minutes.

-Remove from the heat and let cool completely.  Stir mixture frequently during cooling to prevent skin from forming.

It helps to take the mixture and transfer it to another large bowl that is chilled.

-Pour the cream mixture into 6 martini glasses or into a dozen small ramekins.

-Cover and refrigerate. Chill until set.

-With a vegetable peeler, shave small chocolate curls from each of the chocolate bars onto the panna cotta.

serve on a hot day for your family, or impress your guests with an amazing dessert.

dig in