Maple Panna Cotta Recipes

THE BEST PANNA COTTA YOU WILL EVER HAVE

Steps:

• Place sixteen 4-ounce ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Split vanilla bean lengthwise with the tip of a sharp knife. Holding the pod open, scrape seeds from each half using the flat side of your knife.
• Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
• Combine vanilla pods, scraped beans, heavy cream, and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl that will fit snugly into the pot; whisk thoroughly to mix. Place bowl over simmering water; whisk until cream mixture is just warm and sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
• Remove bowl from heat and strain cream mixture using a fine-mesh strainer. Pour out hot water.
• Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup water in a small bowl and stir quickly with a large toothpick until granules are separated. Pour gelatin into cream mixture and whisk thoroughly. Let sit until slightly cool, about 20 minutes.
• Whisk buttermilk thoroughly into cream mixture; pour into ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until set, at least 6 hours and preferably overnight.
• Place blueberries in a large saucepan over medium heat; cook until slightly toasted and starting to release their juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in orange juice and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook until mixture is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until thickened and syrupy, about 30 minutes.
• Run a thin knife around the edges of each ramekin. Invert panna cotta onto serving plates. Serve topped with blueberry topping.

CHEF JOHN'S BUTTERMILK PANNA COTTA

Steps:

• Sprinkle gelatin over cold water; stir and let sit 5 or 10 minutes until it thickens and becomes rubbery.
• Pour heavy cream into a saucepan. Whisk in sugar. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture just barely starts to simmer, 3 to 5 minutes. Add lemon peel as mixture is coming up to temperature. As small bubbles begin to appear here and there, remove pan from heat. Add tiny pinch of salt, vanilla, and bloomed gelatin. Whisk until gelatin melts into the cream mixture. Add buttermilk and lemon juice; whisk until blended.
• Strain through fine sieve to remove zest and any lumps. Pour into serving dishes or ramekins. Allow to cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 5 hours or, ideally, overnight.

SUGAR AND SPICE PANNA COTTA

Steps:

• Start by making your spice cookies: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, salt and egg and mix well. Add the flour a little at a time, mixing well and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix until well combined. Let chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Split the dough into 3 pieces. Into one, knead the ground cinnamon in with your hand until well incorporated. Into the next dough piece, knead in the nutmeg. And into the last, the cloves.
• Pick teeny tiny portions of the cinnamon dough (about the size of a jelly bean), roll them between your fingers and place on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the nutmeg and clove dough (making sure to keep track of the separate flavors) until you have the desired amount of little cookies (20 to 30 of each). Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
• Next, make the butterscotch cookie coating: In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the butterscotch morsels and 1 tablespoon heavy cream in 30-second increments, stirring every 30 seconds, until the butterscotch is melted. A touch more cream can be added if necessary. Add the corn syrup and very gently fold the mixture until it's a thin, liquid consistency, only heating the mixture for an additional period of 15 seconds or less.
• Using a fork or slotted spoon (or, if you can use them, chopsticks work well), dip your cookies in the butterscotch mixture to lightly coat them (make sure you keep track of which flavor is which throughout--don't mix them up). The butterscotch creates delicious little pockets of butterscotch sauce while protecting the cookies from getting too soggy in the hot liquid panna cotta. Try to place them somewhere where the excess can drip off of the cookies a bit. Place the coated cookies in the freezer to harden, making sure not to mix up the different flavors!
• Get out whichever 4 glasses you would like to present your dessert in (this recipe made enough for four 8-ounce stemmed sundae cups that we used). Wine glasses, martini glasses, tumblers, Irish coffee mugs--any of these work, but, depending on size, the layer size will vary!
• The Irish cream panna cotta will be the bottom layer, so the first to make. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the heavy cream and vanilla. Gently bring to just a boil, then immediately remove from the heat. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cream and whisk well until the gelatin is completely dissolved and no lumps remain, at least 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then add the Irish cream liqueur and stir well.
• Divide the liquid among your 4 glasses and carefully place them in the refrigerator for 5 to 6 minutes to slightly set up. Get your cookies out of the freezer. Take out your panna cotta and add 5 to 6 of the coated nutmeg spice cookies to the layer (up to you!) and then return the glasses to the refrigerator to set up completely (will take up to 45 minutes).
• The next layer will be the brown sugar maple panna cotta layer. In a small saucepan over medium heat, gently bring the heavy cream, brown sugar, maple extract and vanilla to just a boil. Immediately remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin until completely dissolved and no lumps remain, at least 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Making sure that the Irish cream layer is set up, divide the brown sugar maple liquid among your 4 glasses. Return to the refrigerator for 5 minutes to set up, then add your coated cinnamon spice cookies. Chill for 45 minutes to set up completely.
• The final (top) layer will be the honey panna cotta. Heat the heavy cream and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat until it comes to just a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin until dissolved completely and no lumps remain, at least 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Whisk in the milk.
• Making sure the other layers are completely set, divide the honey liquid among your 4 glasses. Let set up for 5 minutes, then add your coated clove spice cookies. Let the final layer set up for at least an hour.
• We garnished each serving with a gingersnap cookie for a beautiful, rich holiday dessert.

MAPLE PANNA COTTA

Steps:

• Pour 1 cup buttermilk into top half of a double boiler and sprinkle in gelatin. Allow to sit 5 minutes, until soft.
• Meanwhile, line a strainer with cheesecloth. Fill bottom half of double boiler with water and bring to a simmer. Combine heavy cream and maple syrup in a small saucepan and bring to just a boil. Add cream and syrup mixture to buttermilk and gelatin mixture in top half o fdouble boiler, an dplace over bottom half with simmering water, whisking until gelatin is dissolved, about 4 minutes.
• Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups buttermilk. Pass through cheesecloth-lined strainer. Pour into 8 to 10 small custard cups or cordial glasses. Place plastic wrap on top of each container and refrigerate at least 5 hours.
• Serve custard in cordial glasses, drizzle additional maple syrup on top.

VANILLA PANNA COTTAS

Steps:

• Place 1/4 cup cold water in a small bowl; sprinkle with gelatin. Set aside to soften, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine half-and-half, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Add vanilla and softened gelatin mixture; stir until dissolved.
• Divide mixture among six 6-ounce ramekins. Chill, covered with plastic wrap, until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.
• To serve, run a small knife around the edge of each panna cotta to loosen, then carefully dip bottom of ramekin in hot water for a few seconds. Invert ramekin onto a small plate; holding both tightly, shake firmly to release panna cotta onto plate. Drizzle each panna cotta with maple syrup, if desired.

PANNA COTTA WITH MAPLE SYRUP

Steps:

• Mix the sugar, maple syrup, milk, and cream together in a small saucepan, and heat, stirring. As soon as bubbles appear around the edges, remove the pan from the heat. Sprinkle in the gelatin, stirring vigorously, and continue to stir for 3-4 minutes. Let cool completely, giving an occasional stir. Now pour the cooled custard into two custard cups or glass dishes, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. You can unmold the panna cotta and drizzle a little bit more maple syrup around it, garnishing, if you like, with some berries. Or you can enjoy the panna cotta straight from the cup.