One of the simplest desserts to make has to be panna cotta. It only requires a handful of ingredients and a few hours in the fridge, so it’s perfect for hot summer days. Just enough sweetness to satisfy that sweet tooth without slaving in the kitchen. It’s something different to serve guests that will impress them for sure, or if you’re hosting a party an interesting dessert to add to the table.
I decided to combine a traditional vanilla panna cotta with a chocolaty – Nutella infused version for a beautiful presentation and because chocolate and vanilla is a tried and true combination.
If you’d like to layer one flavor on top of the other, you can chill your glasses upright in the fridge. But if you’d like to achieve the same design as I have, you’ll need to chill the first layer in the fridge with the glasses tilted sideways (see photo below).
The number of servings will depend on the size of your glasses. I ended up using 2 large wine glasses so my mixture only made 2 cups. However, when I make it for guests, I use smaller cups and it makes double or triple the amount. You can also use a ramekin or bowl if you don’t want to be fancy.
Chocolate & Vanilla Panna Cotta / Dvobojna Pana Kota
Course: Dessert4
servings5
minutes6-7
hoursA simple but elegant dessert, Balkan-ized!
Ingredients
6 tablespoons ( 90 ml) water
2 0.25 oz unflavored gelatin packets (14 g)
2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream / neutralna pavlaka
2 cups (500 ml) milk (I use whole milk)
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (13 g) vanilla sugar (I use 1 packet)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (7 g) cocoa powder
2 tablespoons (50 g) Nutella
Directions
- Vanilla Panna Cotta
- In a small dish (I use a ramekin), pour in 3 tablespoons of water. Sprinkle 1 packet of gelatin (7 g) on top of the water. Set aside to bloom (soak up all the water).
- In a medium saucepan, add 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of heavy cream, half of the sugar, the vanilla sugar, and the vanilla extract. Heat until steam begins to rise but do not let it boil, stirring occasionally. It should be very hot.
- Remove from the heat and add in the gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. This should happen in just a few seconds.
- Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a measuring cup or a bowl with a spout. This will make it easier to pour into your cups.
- In a small baking dish, arrange a few dish towels so that you’re able to lean the glasses slightly on their side, see photo above. Make sure they are supported so they don’t slip and completely fall on their side.
- Slowly, pour in the mixture until you reach the lip of the glass.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until completely set. The chilling time will depend on how deep and large your container is. It could take anywhere from 2-4 hours.
- Once the vanilla panna cotta has set, remove from the fridge and set aside while you prepare the chocolate version.
- Chocolate Panna Cotta
- Repeat step 1.
- In a medium saucepan, add in 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of heavy cream, and the rest of the granulated sugar. Just as before, heat until steam begins to rise but do not let it boil, stirring occasionally.
- Once the mixture is very hot, remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder and Nutella. Whisk gently to combine the ingredients and ensure the Nutella melts.
- Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a measuring cup or a bowl with a spout.
- Let the chocolate mixture sit on the counter, stirring occasionally until it cools down and reaches room temperature. If you pour the hot mixture into the glasses right away, it will melt the vanilla side and you won’t get clean lines. And your glass can also shatter.
- Remove your cups from the baking dish if using the tilting method and stand them upright. When the chocolate mixture has cooled, pour it in to fill up the remainder of the glass.
- Chill in the fridge uncovered for the same amount of time it took to chill the vanilla portion, or until completely set.
- Serve cold.
Notes
- Prepare this dessert the day before you need it. It holds up great 1-2 days in the fridge!
- If you leave the chocolate mixture to cool on the counter and don’t stir it occasionally, a thin skin will form on the top because the top cools first. If this happens, strain the liquid one more time before pouring it into the glasses/container if you want a smooth panna cotta.
- If you’d like to make just one flavor, split the recipe in half and only use what that version or “color” calls for!
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Interested in other desserts? Visit the Desserts section!
