Chocolate Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta is a silky smooth cream based eggless custard.  This deliciously rich, yet refreshing dessert gets its firmness from gelatine.

This Italian dessert is traditionally unmolded, similar to a Bavarian Custard which is stabilized with gelatine but also uses eggs.  Both are usually served with fruit or fruit sauce.

It is always flavoured, at least with vanilla. This one has chocolate melted into it, adding a nice bitterness, depending on the chocolate you use, and you can use whatever your preference. 

I used 70% cocoa so it is not too sweet and served it with cherries in syrup for a little sweet tartness.

I also used more milk and less cream than is usually used, since we also have the richness of the chocolate, which works fine and can be modified as long as you don’t use more liquid in total or you won’t have enough gelatine for it to set properly. 

Don’t use too much milk over cream though or it will taste like the kid dessert.  I think it is flavoured gelatine powder and milk and called “Moo”.

Chocolate Panna Cotta with Cherry Sauce

Panna cotta is easy enough for an any day dessert as it does not require heating up the oven and can be made quickly. It does need plenty of time in the fridge though, especially if you are going to serve it unmolded.  

It can be poured into pretty glass serving dishes or something like a wine glass, or a wine glass and served from there for super easy peasy.

If panna cotta gives you any trouble, it will be in the setting of the custard.

Gelatine must be softened in cold liquid, then heated to completely dissolve, but not too hot or for too long, or the gelatine breaks down and does not set.  It is usually the former that happens though for fear of the latter.

Letting the liquid come to a boil, or adding boiling liquid is fine.  Boiling the gelatine in the liquid is not.

Give your cold softening liquid enough room to be sprinkled over, maybe in two passes, it needs to be spread out,  then let it soften.  It has softened when you can no longer see dry gelatine on the top.  I then heat it in the microwave before adding it, lastly, to the heated cream.

Make sure you stir it, then use a rubber spatula to get all of the dissolved gelatine, or you will not have used the recommended amount.

If you are using sheets, soften them in water, remove the excess water, then add them to the milk and heat, just make sure you get it all into the final mixture.

How to Make Chocolate Panna Cotta

1. Chop up your chocolate so it will melt quickly and smoothly.   If your chocolate is hard and splinters all over the counter, microwave it for about 10 seconds.  Using a serrated knife also helps to keep it in place.

2. Oil 7 -½ cup (125mL) ramekins. 

If you do not plan on turning out the panna cotta onto a plate, you don’t need to oil the serving dish.

3. Pour the milk into a bowl.  This will give you more surface area than the measuring cup. (I am assuming). Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the milk to soften. It needs to have enough room to bloom, or rehydrate all the way through.  Let sit for at least 10 minutes.

If using gelatin sheets, place in water to soften.

Set aside for the gelaine to absorb the liquid, or “bloom”

4. Heat the cream in a small saucepan. This may be an extra step, but I find that it helps to melt the chocolate more evenly and in the end makes everything work out better.

5. Pour about a quarter of the hot cream into a medium pot on medium low heat.

6. Add the chopped chocolate and the sugar and bring to a low simmer.

I find the sugar helps to mix in the chocolate.

Keep stirring over low heat until the chocolate is completely melted.

Add the chocolate to the medium saucepan

Stir until smooth before adding the rest of the hot cream

7. Stir in the rest of the heated cream, about a quarter at a time, stirring to incorporate after each addition.  This will keep it smooth.

If you heat all of the cream, then try to incorporate all of the chocolate, you kind of end up chasing the chocolate around trying to get it to melt.

8. After all of the hot cream has been incorporated and it is smooth, heat the milk and gelatine.  I microwave it, or you could heat it in a pot on the stove. Make sure it is hot and has dissolved and there are no more granules. If it comes to a boil, that’s ok, just don’t let it keep boiling.

9. Add the milk and gelatine to the hot chocolate mixture. Make sure the gelatine is dissolved and use a rubber scraper to get all of the gelatin.

If using the gelatine sheets, gradually add the milk to the chocolate and cream mixture and heat, then add the drained gelatine sheets, stir in and remove from heat.

10. Stir in the vanilla.

milk has been heated and gelatine is gone!

11. Pour through a fine sieve.  I pour it into a measuring cup.

12. Pour at least ½ cup (125mL) into each ramekin or other serving dishes.

13. Refrigerate until completely chilled, about 5 hours.

14. To serve turned out, run a knife, a flexible one is ideal, around the dish, if needed- you may not need to. Turn it over a plate and give it a good shake.  You will hear it drop out.

If you have to, depending on the dish, you could also dip it into a bowl of boiling water for not much more than 5 seconds and turn it over.  Too long and it will get runny again, as gelatine does. Try the knife and shake method first though and if the bowls are oiled it should come out fine.

If you are having a difficult time centering the panna cotta and it bothers you (it bothers me) wet the plate or top of the chocolate panna cotta a bit first, so you can move the plated panna cotta.  Mind you, it may keep sliding around.

15. Top It with some cherry sauce, or any fruit or sauce or nothing.

You can just serve it from the serving dish and top that with fruit as well.