Panna Cotta With Fresh Strawberry Sauce

My own version of the Italian dessert favorite. 'Panna Cotta' literally means 'cooked cream.' I made it for my husband to take to a work function and they loved it! They send him home with a request for it every year now! I created the simple strawberry sauce to accompany it. It really makes the dish!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 18 mins
• Total Time: 33 mins
• Calories: 345 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 (.25 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1 ½ cups whipping cream
• 1 quart fresh strawberries, quartered

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Pour the milk into a bowl; sprinkle the gelatin over the milk. Allow mixture to sit until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes.

Step 2

Combine the cream and 1/4 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the gelatin mixture; cook and stir until gelatin dissolves completely, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract. Pour the mixture evenly into ramekins; cover and chill at least 4 hours.

Step 3

To make the strawberry sauce, combine the strawberries, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan over medium heat. While the mixture cooks, crush the strawberries with a potato masher. Simmer the sauce until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes; cool.

Step 4

Remove chilled ramekins from the refrigerator shortly before serving. Dip the bottoms of the cups in warm water to help loosen the custard. Run a thin-bladed knife around the inner edge of each ramekin to loosen the dessert; turn onto a dessert plate to unmold. Spoon strawberry sauce over panna cotta to serve.