This Coffee Panna Cotta made by Chef Nana is a delicious and elegant dessert that is perfect for any occasion. The literal translation of Panna Cotta is “cooked cream,” but there is nothing cooked about this dessert. It’s simple to assemble, but we wanted to make traditional Panna Cotta more “coffee forward.” The dessert is traditionally served in ramekins, but we found that half-pint canning jars with lids makes a terrific presentation. Keep in mind this is a make-ahead recipe…..it needs at least 4 hours to set. Enjoy!
Serves 5-6
For the Panna Cotta:
1 ¾ cups whole milk
4 tsp gelatine (that’s two packets of a 4-packet box of gelatine)
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 ¾ cups heavy cream
pinch of salt
½ cup Herd of Happiness brew
For the Coffee Syrup:
1 1/2 cups Herd of Happiness brew
1/8 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 cup sugar
DIRECTIONS:
1. Pour the cold whole milk into a medium saucepan and sprinkle the gelatine evenly over the top. Let it sit for 5 minutes to soften. Turn the heat on low under the saucepan and whisk for a minute or two until the gelatin has dissolved.
2. Add the sugar and stir again until dissolved. This should take another few minutes. Don’t let the milk get too hot or come to a simmer. It should only be just warm, and the sugar dissolved.
3. Add the espresso powder to the mixture and stir.
4. Take the saucepan off heat. Pour in the heavy cream and salt, and mix until thoroughly combined.
5. Add the coffee to the mixture and stir to combine. Pour the coffee-flavored mixture evenly between 5 ramekins or jars.
6. Cover the ramekins (or cap the half-pint jars) and place in the refrigerator and allow to set for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Coffee syrup:
1. Place the 1 1/2 cups of coffee, instant espresso powder and the sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Let it gently simmer, stirring often for around 10 minutes until it’s thick, syrupy and reduced by about half.
2. Place in the refrigerator, but prior to serving, allow syrup to come to room
temperature.
3. Uncap the panna cotta, and drizzle a tablespoon or two over the top of each jar before serving.