Panna cotta with berries

Panna cotta is basically cooked cream by another name, thankfully the Italian sounds more appealing than the English translation which would quickly sink the popularity of this luscious dessert.

While panna cotta is a doddle to make there are some key differences between a very ordinary panna cotta and something delicious; it is all in the wobble.

Panna cotta must have a good degree of wobble, it should be able to turned out from its mould and hold its shape – just. Desserts that have been set to the consistency of jelly are just like a milky jelly and the velvety smooth texture of the cream is lost. For this reason do stick to the gelatine amounts without feeling tempted to add a little more. I prefer to use gelatine leaves and work on the premise that one leaf is equivalent to 1 scant teaspoon of powdered gelatine. Gelatine leaves generally create a smoother dessert but appreciating that they may be hard to find I would certainly use powdered gelatine instead. Just make sure that the panna cotta is strained before pouring into the moulds to ensure no lumps get through.

Vanilla is my flavour of choice, however you can experiment with coffee, chocolate and citrus flavours.

Persian fairy floss is an extravagant decoration and makes a very easy and humble dessert look completely glamorous. Berries, chocolate sauce and poached fruit are all lovely accompaniments.

Panna cotta

2 1/2 cups cream

1 vanilla bean, split open

1/2 cup sugar

2 leaves gelatine

1/2 cup milk

Place the cream, vanilla and sugar in a saucepan and heat until almost boiling, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Soak the gelatine in the milk for 5 minutes and then pour into the hot cream, whisking to dissolve the gelatine. Strain the mixture and then pour into lightly oiled ramekins. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and preferably longer. Run a hot knife around the outside of the panna cotta and then invert onto plates. Decorate with berries or poached fruit and serve.

Serves 6

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