Panna Cotta with Blackberry Cabernet Sauce
This exquisite panna cotta recipe is topped with a simple, elegant blackberry cabernet sauce that looks as romantic as it tastes. It takes just a few hours to set, making it a perfectly effortless dinner party dessert that your guests will never forget.
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Setting time4 hours hrs
Total Time4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 307kcal
small mixing bowl
sauce pan
medium-size pot
measuring spoons
mixing spoon
6 glasses
For the Panna Cotta
- 1 tbsp. powdered gelatin
- ¼ cup water cold or warm
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 5 tbsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. real vanilla extract
For the Blackberry Cabernet Sauce
- 12 oz. blackberries fresh
- 3 tbsp. cabernet
- 1 tbsp. white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. lemon juice fresh
To Make Panna Cotta
Add 1 tbsp. powdered gelatin (about 1 packet) to a small bowl with ¼ cup cold or warm (not hot) water. Stir and allow to dissolve and “bloom” for about 1 minute. If it has a few little bits of un-dissolved gelatin when finished, break them up a little but you don’t have break them up entirely.
In a small-medium sauce pan, add 1 cup heavy cream, 2 cups whole milk, 5 tbsp. sugar and 2 tsp. real vanilla extract. Simmer and stir over MEDIUM heat for 4-5 minutes until you see a little steam rise, stirring occasionally.
Add gelatin and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Remove from heat.
Carefully divide panna cotta liquid into 6 glasses. Cover with cellophane and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
To Make the Blackberry Cabernet Sauce
Add 12 oz. blackberries (about 2 standard packages) to a sauce pan with 2 tbsp. Cabernet and 1 tbsp. white granulated sugar.
Simmer over MEDIUM-HIGH heat for 20 minutes, stirring throughout, but making sure not to break up berries.
You’ll know the sauce is ready when it’s reduced to a nice, thick syrup on the bottom. Refrigerate until cold, about 45 minutes.
Once cold, add 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice and 1 more tbsp. Cabernet. Stir and spoon on top of panna cotta.
To make panna cotta in molds and flip onto plates instead of serving in glasses:
This recipe makes a softer panna cotta, that's ideal for serving in glasses, but if you would like to serve them in a mold, you'll wait to add 1 more teaspoon of gelatin to make it more solid.
Grease ramekins with a tiny amount of olive oil, pour in hot panna cotta liquid and refrigerate. When they’ve set for 4 hours, place them in warm-hot water for about 15-20 seconds. Use a pairing knife to loosen them around the edges a bit, then flip over onto a plate.
To use vanilla bean instead of extract:
Use ½ bean, split lengthwise with the seeds removed. Allow the vanilla bean and seeds to sit in the cream and milk over low heat for just 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Remove the bean and seeds and follow directions from the beginning.
To prevent a "skin" from forming on the panna cotta while it cools:
Cover each glass with cellophane after 1 hour of cooling.
See post for detailed instructions with photos of the process.
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Serving: 3ounces | Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 40mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 1015IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 1mg