This was the last recipe I tested in 2022 and the first recipe I photographed on January 1, 2023. I wanted a treat to celebrate my blogs 5th anniversary.

January 1, 2018, after a long night of partying and miserably hungover, I officially launched cateryourheart.com to the public. If you go back and look at my first few posts, you’ll notice that they are from 2017. Those were tester posts, when I was toying around with the idea of a food blog. They have served as a place holder from where I started. One day, I may get around to updating some of my older posts and recipes but for now, I’m just relishing in how far I’ve come. I’m also proud of the fact that I stuck with it. There were many times I started something thinking that thing was going to be my THING. You know, the idea that you felt in your heart was your life changing passion. However, you quickly realize that it was more of lust than love. Well, I had a few of those false starts but this one stuck.

So, to start the year, I wanted to have something sweet to celebrate. I’m not a huge fan of really sweet desserts and I’m definitely not a baker, so cake was out. Then, I thought back to a dessert I had at one of my favorite restaurants here in San Antonio. It’s a coastal Italian spot called Allora. They have some of the best selection of crudi (fresh raw fish) I’ve had. We’re not here to talk about that though. We’re here to talk about how I discovered the coveted cooked cream dessert known as panna cotta.

Once a year, I like to take myself out on a solo lunch date. I schedule a day off of work, get all dressed up and go to one of my many favorite restaurants around town; which is usually Italian or French cuisine. On these solo dates, I order a 3-course style meal. I pick a starter, an entree and a dessert. A typical date night with my husband rarely includes dessert. Not because we don’t like desserts but we’ve ordered, and ate so much that by the end of the meal, we are too stuffed to fit anything else in our gullets. When I’m by myself though, I make sure I leave room for a little something sweet.

My solo date at Allora followed a similar fashion. Except, I opted for two starters, followed by dessert, instead of the second plate being an entree. I remember, I wasn’t particularly hungry this day but I was craving a bright and refreshing meal. So, I ordered a salad caprese, hamachi crudi and panna cotta. I had never had this dessert before but I was curious.

Typically, I’m not into custard based desserts. Flan and creme brulee are a no go for me. Therefore, I’m not entirely sure what made me choose this that day. Maybe it was because I trusted this restaurant to deliver a elegant dessert that I could appreciate. Maybe it was because even if I didn’t like it, sometimes it feels good to take a risk and challenge your own tastes. Regardless, I ordered it, tried it and fell in love. This particular panna cotta was creme fraiche based and topped with fresh strawberries in a balsamic glaze and a single basil leaf. It was creamy and soft, yet light and somehow airy with just the right amount of sweetness that played nicely with the savory notes of the balsamic and the brightness of the basil.

With that in mind, I wanted to recreate that moment I had in Allora but, of course, in my own way. So, what exactly is panna cotta? It’s rather simple, actually.

cream or milk: the base that’s gently heated/ “cooked”
gelatin: the setting agent
sugar: the sweetener
vanilla extract: the flavor
desired topping: this could be seasonal fresh fruit, granola, caramel, chocolate or berry sauce aka berry coulis, and a number of other options

Once you have the basic concept down, you can incorporate other flavoring into the cream base; coffee, maple, pumpkin. The possibilities are endless. For my version, I went with a classic approach with a berry coulis topping. It wasn’t as elegant as the restaurant’s version but it hit the spot. So, in celebration of this blog’s 5th birthday, I give you panna cotta.

Panna Cotta

Yields: 4 servings

Prep Time: -- | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes plus 4 hours chilling time

Panna Cotta Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream
1 package of gelatin
2 tbsp cold water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Berry Coulis Ingredients

1 cup frozen mixed berries
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp (or more) granulated sugar

Garnish

fresh mint leaves

Special Tools

4 ramekins
fine mesh strainer

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Instructions

In small bowl, mix the gelatin powder with the cold water and then warm in the microwave until the gelatin has fully disolved. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, gently bring the heavy cream, sugar and gelatin slurry to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occassionally. Lower the heat if the cream mixture begins to boil.
Remove saucepan from heat and mix in the vanilla extract. Then, pour the cooked cream into the ramekins; a half cup each. Let cool to room temperature before covering tightly with plastic wrap and placing in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours.
In another small saucepan on medium heat, add the frozen berries, sugar and lemon juice, and cook until the berries have thawed, softened and begin to breakdown; about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat, strain the berry sauce to remove fruit flesh and seeds, and allow to cool before placing in an air tight container to chill in the fridge while the panna cotta sets.
When the panna cotta has set, top with the berry coulis and mint, when ready to serve.

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