Panna Cotta (Italian for “cooked cream”) is a delicious, smooth, custard-like dessert. The description I gave my husband (who had never heard of panna cotta) was that it’s like a cross between jello and pudding. One of my favorite things about panna cotta is that it can be flavored and dressed countless ways. I’ve had delicious variations that were flavored with orange, lemon, and as I’m sharing today, blueberry. I’m sure you’ll be seeing a few more variations from me soon, as I had forgotten until recently how delicious and refreshing panna cotta can be.
Yogurt Panna Cotta
Adapted from Italian Food Forever
3/4 cups skim milk*
1/2 cup heavy cream*
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4- 1/3 cups honey (or sugar)
2 cups plain Greek yogurt (I used non fat)
*I used both skim milk and heavy cream because that’s what I had on hand, you can use all skim milk (a total of 1 1/4 cups, 2% milk, or whole milk)
Directions ~
1. Place 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl and sprinkle the packet of gelatin on top. Set aside while the gelatin becomes moist.
2. In a saucepan, warm the remaining 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup of cream until simmering, but not a full boil.
3. Add vanilla and 1/4 cup of honey, stir and (carefully) taste. If you would like, add a bit more honey. (I used 1/3 cup total)
4. Add the bowl of gelatin, and whisk until the gelatin has fully dissolved into the hot milk mixture.
5. Remove pan from heat, and stir in 2 cups greek yogurt. Stir until fully combined.
6. Pour final mixture into small glasses, bowls, or ramekins. Place in refrigerator for 3-4 hours. The panna cotta will keep well for 2 days. (Make sure they are covered, and that there are no strong odors in your refrigerator to absorb)
*If you are making the blueberry sauce (as shown), I added a bit of blueberry sauce into the bottom of each glass, and let it set a bit before adding the panna cotta. When you pour in the panna cotta, pour very gently and slowly at first, to not displace the sauce too much. Fill your glasses or dishes about 3/4 full with panna cotta, then put in the refrigerator to set. Top with a little additional blueberry sauce and fresh blueberries before serving (or anytime after the panna cotta has set).
Blueberry Sauce
*This is what I used, but there are about a thousand different ways to dress panna cotta. Feel free to experiment.
1/2 cup good quality blueberry jam (I like Trader Joe’s store brand)
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if using fresh, add about 1 Tablespoon water)
Warm jam and blueberries in a small sauce pan. Mix until fully combined and hot. Allow to cool slightly before using.
This yogurt panna cotta could be a delicious treat for breakfast, or as a cool and refreshing dessert.
Enjoy!
How to Make Yogurt Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce
Yogurt Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce
Ingredients
Panna Cotta
- 3/4 cups skim milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 package unflavored gelatin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4- 1/3 cups honey or sugar
- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt I used non fat
Blueberry Sauce
- 1/2 cup good quality blueberry jam I like Trader Joe’s store brand
- 3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries if using fresh, add about 1 Tablespoon water
Instructions
Panna Cotta
- Place 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl and sprinkle the packet of gelatin on top. Set aside while the gelatin becomes moist.
- In a saucepan, warm the remaining 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup of cream until simmering, but not a full boil.
- Add vanilla and 1/4 cup of honey, stir and (carefully) taste. If you would like, add a bit more honey. (I used 1/3 cup total)
- Add the bowl of gelatin, and whisk until the gelatin has fully dissolved into the hot milk mixture.
- Remove pan from heat, and stir in 2 cups greek yogurt. Stir until fully combined.
- Pour final mixture into small glasses, bowls, or ramekins. Place in refrigerator for 3-4 hours. The panna cotta will keep well for 2 days. (Make sure they are covered, and that there are no strong odors in your refrigerator to absorb)
Blueberry Sauce
- Warm jam and blueberries in a small sauce pan. Mix until fully combined and hot. Allow to cool slightly before using.
This looks delicious and healthy if made without cream! Yum yum. I am an avid home cook/baker and love to make new things from scratch! I will definitely be trying this recipe. One question; you say you used nonfat yogurt in your recipe, but yogurt without the fat to bind it usually splits when heated. How do you keep it from splitting when you add it to the milk? Is the whisking of the gelatin into the hot milk enough to cool it down so the yogurt won’t split? Just curious. I’ve tried cooking with nonfat yogurt before, with pretty icky results. Usually, if I’m gonna apply heat, I use the low fat. Thoughts?
Angela- I have only made the recipe as listed, and had no problems. Please note that the yogurt should be greek yogurt, which is much thicker than regular yogurt. Also, the yogurt is not being heated too much, since the cooking is mostly done to the milk, cream and sugar, and the yogurt is added after the milk is off the heat. Give the recipe a try and let me know how it works for you.
just what I was looking for! looks delicious! by any chance do you know how many servings this recipe has? I’m trying to see if it there will be enough for our dinner guests.
The total recipe yields about 3 1/2 cups of panna cotta, so it depends on the size dishes you use. If you put about 1/2 cup of panna cotta in each dish, then you’ll get about 7… if you do a larger serving, probably about 4-5.
Panna cotta is one of those easily forgotten dessert for some reason. I'm a huge fan of it though. I love just plain vanilla bean. Your version looks so yummy!
Looks great! The blueberries make such a pretty topping.
The panna cotta looks stunning… and one gets to play with the topping! 🙂
LOVE all these blueberries! I have them in my post today too 🙂
I love how easy and elegant the panna cotta is! Must try this some time!
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This recipe looks really great! Thanks for sharing it!
Yum! I want one…hmmmm, I've got blueberries,milk,cream, yogurt…gotta go run to the store for the gelatin! Thanks!
Oh my… creamy goodness!