Panna cotta with strawberry sauce

This Panna Cotta recipe is exactly the same as in “Panna cotta with raspberry sauce” only this time I made it in Greece where raspberries are not popular. I had a bag of frozen strawberries in the freezer. I got it out, mixed the strawberries with a little sugar and cream of balsamic vinegar and voila!  The perfect strawberry sauce to accompany your Panna Cotta, vanilla ice-cream, or even yogurt.

Calories (without sauce): 261              Servings: 8

Calories (with sauce): 277       Servings: 8

Recipe

Ingredients for the Panna Cotta (6 ramekins)

• 4 cups heavy cream (or half-and-half or some combination of the two)
• 1/2 cup  sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 2 packets powdered gelatin (about 4 1/2 teaspoons)
• 6 tablespoons cold water

Ingredients for the strawberry sauce

• 2 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or cream of  balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar

How to make the panna cotta: Mix the gelatin with the cold water in a bowl large enough to, later, add the custard. Let the gelatin stand in the water for 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, put the heavy cream and the sugar in a sauce pan and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla extract and give it a stir.  Pour the  custard in the bowl with the gelatin and whisk until well blended (no beating). Pour the panna cotta in the ramekins and let them stand in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.  Serve with the strawberry sauce (see below).

How to make the strawberry sauce: In a bowl, mix the strawberries with the sugar and the balsamic vinegar. If you use fresh strawberries, slice them first. Let them “cure” in the fridge for at least half an hour and serve. You can cream the sauce in a blender if you prefer.

Notes and tips: Most panna cotta recipes give you instructions to flip them over. The most common trick is to dip the ramekins into hot water very briefly and then flip them over.  I have long quit that step. I just pour the custard in nice containers and serve it in situ.

Update 2016/03/13

Here’s how I served it today.

panna cotta with strawberry sauce