The real recipe for panna cotta by a former Top Chef candidate requires neither milk nor gelatin!
As spring has set in and the strawberry season has begun, we are already enjoying fresh and delicious desserts, to be enjoyed under the first rays of sunshine. Among the countless star desserts of sunny days, we cannot ignore panna cotta, an Italian recipe which has its place in the pantheon of Italian desserts. Did you know that the recipe for an authentic Italian panna cotta requires no milk or gelatin? No more industrial texture, the reduced cream will be even smoother.
Denny Imbroisi, Italian chef of Calabrian origins at the head of the Parisian restaurant IDA and ex-Top Chef candidate in 2012, shared the recipe for panna cotta from his childhood on the show Europe 1 Soir. The recipe is easy and will only take 10 minutes of your time. For 4 people, you will need 380 grams of 30% liquid cream, 25 grams of sugar, a vanilla pod, a lime or yellow lemon and a fresh herb such as basil, coriander, mint or tarragon. Here we go for the step by step recipe:
- In a saucepan, immerse 300 grams of the liquid cream with the sugar and bring to a low boil. Adding sugar to the cream “immediately will prevent it from burning and sticking to the bottom”, according to the Italian chef.
- Flavor by adding the scraped vanilla pod and a zest of lime or yellow lemon, or both, to the mixture. Stir very regularly using a whisk for around ten minutes until the cream has reduced by half. “To be sure of successful reduction, you can weigh your preparation. You need to go from 300 grams to 140-150 grams,” says Denny Imbroisi.
- Remove the pan from the heat and cool the preparation by adding the remaining 80 grams of very cold liquid cream, which will prevent the cooking.
- Pour the mixture halfway into small glasses and leave to cool for at least two hours in the refrigerator.
- When serving, add seasonal fruits and the aromatic herb of your choice.
You will have understood, not only is the recipe from Italian chef Denny Imbroisi super simple and requires very few utensils and ingredients, but the result is also creamy as can be! The secret to the authentic panna cotta recipe of true Italians lies in the Italian saying “chi va piano va sano” (literally, “he who goes slowly goes surely”). In fact, you just need to be patient while letting the preparation cool in the fridge. for at least two hours. Buon appetito!