Makes 8 desserts
Prep time: 20 minutes
Time to set: 1-2 hours

Panna cotta is custard that is commonly served in Italian cooking, and relies on gelatine to set it up, rather than egg yolks, corn starch, or even flour, like most common custards, thus making it quite light and delicate. Once this basic recipe is mastered it is great to experiment with imparting different flavours and textures into the custard. All you have to keep in mind is what effect it will have on the gelatine. For example, 16 leaves of gelatine will successfully set 1 litre of liquid, but if you increase the quantity of liquid, it won’t set as firm, so you may need to reduce the milk if you were to add flavoured syrup. If you add anything with citrus fruit you have to keep in mind that it will break down the gelatine without the addition of some pectin. Enjoy experimenting!

16 leaves gelatine (found in the baking aisle at the grocery store, use the sheets, not the powder)
6 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk
2 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
½ cup honey (you can substitute sugar or other sweeteners, but I like the flavour honey brings)

• Place the leaves of gelatine in a bowl of cold water to soften, 3-5 minutes, this is called blooming
• In a medium pot, bring cream, milk, vanilla bean paste, and honey to a simmer, do not boil
• Carefully remove the gelatine leaves from the cold water, squeezing out the water
• Place the gelatine in the cream mixture and stir in with a whisk, ensuring all of the gelatine is dissolved
• Distribute the cream mixture evenly throughout 8 containers of even size, you can use tea cups, ramekins, even disposable cups, or you can place the entire mixture into one container, if you intend on doing that, I recommend lining it carefully with saran wrap to allow for it to be removed easily
• If you wish, add some berries into each cup
• Place in the fridge and allow the gelatine to do its job and set, this will take 1-2 hours, depending on how quickly your custard cools down
• Once ready, take a small knife and slide in around the inside of the cup, then tip it upside down and slide it onto a plate, it should come right out fairly easily, holding it’s form
• Serve with some berry compote, even a dollop of jam is nice, and some wafers or short bread cookies