Traditional Italian Panna Cotta with Fresh Berry Sauce

Panna cotta is a creamy, delicate and lusciously smooth pure goodness. 

Chilled to perfection and served with a sweet and summery berry sauce.

Let's face it. It's summer and nobody wants to spend too much time in the kitchen baking and sweating next to a hot oven. But there is no reason to give up making amazing desserts just because of the weather. I am NOT going to ... no matter what the thermometer reads!
So this summer, when your sweet tooth is calling you, here is a great recipe to try.
Panna cotta is super easy and fast to whip up. It's a traditional, classic Italian dessert. And as the name suggests ("cooked cream") it just involves bringing to a slow boil a mixture of heavy cream, milk and a couple of other ingredients. No baking in the oven! But you will need to be a bit patient before tasting this dessert. It needs at least five hour (or overnight) in the refrigerator to set and chill.
Today's recipe is the most traditional panna cotta, with a delicate vanilla flavor. You can serve it like I did with berry sauce. Or with chocolate or caramel sauce. Also very delicious!

I just picked up some super sweet, organic strawberries at the market, and so, voila' ... strawberry sauce. A simple puree' of strawberries with a sprinkle of sugar and a splash of lemon juice. And to decorate, more berries! Different color, of course. To make it prittyer and fruity-er.... The eye always wants its part!
You can change it up and make it fun. Use blueberries or raspberries. Or any combination of these. You will love it!

Ingredients: serving 4                   PRINTABLE RECIPE

• 1/4 cup ( 60 ml ) of milk
• 1 envelope (0.25 oz = 6 gr) of powder gelatin - unflavored (6 gr)
• 2 cups (475 ml) of heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

For the sauce:

• 8 oz (225 gr) of (organic) strawberries
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• other berries (blueberries, blackberries) for decoration

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 5 hours inactive
Directions:

1. In a small bowl, add the milk and sprinkle with the gelatin powder. Stir and let stand for about 5 minutes while you do the next steps.

2. In a large pan add the heavy cream, half cup of sugar and the vanilla extract. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Don't let the cream boil.As soon as the first bubble appears on the side, and it looks like it starts to boil, remove from the heat.

3. Stir in the gelatin mixture in the cream mixture, and whisk until blended.

4. Divide the cream evenly into 4 ramekins or cups. Cool to room temperature . Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate  for at least 5 hours or overnight.

5. Before serving prepare the strawberry sauce: puree the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice in a blender. You can eliminate the seeds, but passing the puree through a sieve. Or use it as is, like I did.

6. You can serve the panna cotta in the cups, or inverted into a plate.To do so,  place the cups into hot water (one at a time) for a few seconds. Run a knife around the edges and invert onto a serving plate.

Decorate with strawberry sauce and fresh berries.

Enjoy :)

Meringue Cake with Fresh Strawberries

Indulge yourself in this deliciously creamy and rich meringue cake with fresh strawberry. 

The perfect dessert for these hot summer days.

For today, an exquisitely amazing cake perfect for these hot summer days. REALLY! I'm not exaggerating.
Here is how I know it: my mother-in-law loved it :-) She really doesn't care much for dessert and generally turns it down. But not only she liked this meringue cake, she thought it was absolutely delicious. So, if you are wondering: yes! I made it to impress her, and it totally worked :-)
The meringue cake is a relatively easy dessert to make, with the exception of the meringue part. But once the meringues are ready, it's only a matter of whipping the cream, preparing the custard and having fun assembling and decorating the cake.
You will need to prepare the cake several hours in advance. It needs to be firm and mostly frozen, so it won't fall apart. And you will need to remove it from the freezer at least 30 to 60 minutes before eating it, based on how creamy and soft you wish to eat it.
I will make this dessert again, soon!! Next time though I will buy the meringues. So the cake will be a lot faster and a lot easier. I will post the recipe for you as soon as it's ready!


Ingredients: to make a 9 in cake, serving about 8-10 people       Printable Recipe

For the meringues:
6 egg whites
1 and a half cups of powder sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

For the custard cream:
16 fl oz of milk
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
half lemon

For the rest of the filling and decoration:
1 lb of fresh strawberries
about 12 fl oz of whipping cream
half tablespoon of powder sugar

Preparation time: 30 minutes to prepare, plus 2 hours to bake, and at least 4 hours of refrigeration

Directions:
Step 1: Follow the recipe for the meringue here, step 1 and 2. Note: save the egg yolks - you will need 4 to make the custard cream later. When the mixture is ready, prepare three discs using the removable sides of the baking pan you are planning to use to hold the cake.  Pipe the mixture in circles starting from the edge, moving in. Smooth the top if you like using a knife or a stirring stick. You will need one disk for the top, one for the bottom of the cake, and one will be broken in pieces and mixed in with the filling. Bake for about 1 hour as directed in the meringues recipe and leave in the oven for at least one more hour.

Step 2: Prepare the custard cream, following this recipe. Let it cool down in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Step 3: Whip 8 fl oz of whipping cream and mix it with the custard cream.

Step 4: Cut about 2/3 of the strawberries in small pieces (the rest will be used for decorating the cake). Break one disc of meringue in pieces. Mix the strawberries and the meringue pieces with the custard cream.

Step 5: Place one disc of meringue inside the baking pan you used earlier (all you need is the sides, not the bottom). Pour in the filling and cover with the last disc. Cover with aluminum foil and freeze for at least 4 hours or until set, better if overnight.

Step 6: Whip the remaining cream with the powder sugar. Remove the side of the cake and decorate with whipped cream and the remaining strawberries... This is the fun part!!

Remove from the freezer 30 to 60 minutes before eating. And store the rest ... assuming there is anything left!! ... in the freezer. Enjoy :-)