Julia Eats Italy

Vanilla panna cotta with grilled peaches

Panna cotta is my go-to dessert if we’re having friends over or if I’m asked to bring dessert to a dinner party. It’s super easy to make but looks impressive. Panna cotta is literally translated into “cooked cream” and is made by heating cream and mixing with gelatine, then leaving to set in the fridge.

In this recipe I’ve paired it with grilled peaches, which I think goes really well with the creaminess of the panna cotta. If peaches aren’t in season, you can use any fruit you like. Berries or rhubarb are a good alternative.

You don’t need to buy special moulds for the panna cotta. I used a six cup silicone muffin tray. It’s perfect because it’s non-stick, but it’s a bit tricky trying to turn one panna cotta out while keeping the others in the tray. Just make sure you dip one panna cotta in hot water at a time during the plating, and not all at once. You could also serve the panna cotta in glasses with the grilled peaches on top.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

Flavourless oil for greasing
300ml double cream
200ml whole milk
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 sheets leaf gelatine
5 peaches
2 tbsp brown sugar
50g unsalted butter
Few sprigs of fresh mint

Method

1. First, smear some oil around the insides of a six cup silicone muffin tray, or panna cotta moulds/glasses and set aside.

2. Heat the cream, milk, vanilla pod and sugar in a large pot over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture up to simmering point then turn off the heat and leave to infuse for about 30 minutes.

3. Remove the vanilla pod and place the cream mixture back on a medium heat.

4. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes to soften. Squeeze the excess water out of the gelatine and whisk it into the hot cream mixture just before it boils.

5. Pour the mixture into the moulds and leave to cool, then place in the fridge overnight or a minimum of 4 hours, until set.

6. Just before serving, slice the peaches and mix with the brown sugar and butter. Grill the peaches over a medium heat until caramelised and just soft.

7. To turn the panna cotta out, dip the moulds in hot water for a couple of seconds then invert onto a serving plate. Place the grilled peaches next to the panna cotta and garnish with a few mint leaves.