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Since starting this blog a year ago, the chocolate amaretto panna cotta is my most popular post. This surprises me, especially since I didn’t post a recipe. Instead I linked to one of the only chocolate panna cotta recipes I could find at the time.
Over the past year, I’ve experimented with chocolate panna cottas, and finally settled on my own recipe. No disrespect to the fine folks at William-Sonoma, but I like my recipe more. I’m happy to share it with you!
Chocolate Amaretto Panna Cotta Recipe for 2.5 cups
- One packet Knox gelatin
- ½ cup whole milk (for blooming gelatin)
- 1 ¾ cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup sugar (or to taste)
- ½ cup baking cocoa powder
- ¼ cup amaretto
Sprinkle the packet of gelatin on top of ½ cup cold milk. Set aside for 5 minutes.
In a small saucepan, heat up cream and sugar (do not boil). Add cocoa a little bit at a time and stir thoroughly. Once sugar dissolves, pour over the bloomed gelatin. Stir until gelatin dissolves, and add ¼ cup of amaretto. Strain mixture to remove cocoa powder clumps – there will be clumps! Pour into mold(s) and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Original post:
Panna cottas, like all gelatin desserts, offer a blank slate for flavor experimentations. Here I combined two of my favorite things in the world – chocolate and almonds. The chocolate creaminess and boozy almond sweetness tasted divine. This was my first attempt at a chocolate gelatin mold, and am thrilled by limitless chocolate possibilities. Oh the fun I’m going to have!
To make the chocolate amaretto panna cotta, I adapted this recipe from William-Sonoma (I substituted milk for the mascarpone and added amaretto). While most panna cotta recipes call for straight heavy cream, I prefer substituting some of the cream with milk. I find it creates a lighter, silky texture.
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I love stories about vampires. Especially the vamps of True Blood and Charlaine Harris’s addictive Sookie Stackhouse novels. Unlike vampire tales that focus on restraint, True Blood is a story of a strong southern woman entering the vampire world of visceral excess: An extravaganza of sex, blood, and southern charm. How fantastic is that?!
This gelatin isn’t the first time I experimented with gore (see Halloween Part One and Part Two). But, this is the first time I’m breaking one of my gelatin tenants: No food coloring. While I thought long and hard about this, I figured a red velvet panna cotta warranted breaking my arbitrary rule.
This red velvet panna cotta consists of whipping cream, buttermilk, cocoa, red food dye, and bourbon – so yummingly southern! My Okie and Texan roots are proud. Oh yeah, it tastes pretty fantastic too. Just like a creamy and boozy red velvet should.
Recipe for 10 cups
Red Velvet top layer
- 2 packets Knox gelatin
- 1 cup whole milk for blooming gelatin
- 2 ½ cups whipping cream
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup sugar (or to taste)
- 1 ¼ cup cocoa powder
- Red food dye
Sprinkle the gelatin on top of 1 cup cold milk. Set aside for 5 minutes.
In a small saucepan heat up cream, buttermilk, and sugar. Add cocoa a little bit at a time and stir thoroughly. Once sugar and cocoa dissolves, pour over the bloomed gelatin. Stir until gelatin dissolves. Strain mixture to remove powdered cocoa clumps – and there will be clumps! Next, stir in red food dye until desired color is achieved – I added a lot. Pour into mold(s) and refrigerate until almost set. It should stick to your fingers when slightly touched.
Bourbon and Cream bottom layer
- 2 packets Knox gelatin
- 1 cup whole milk for blooming
- 3 cups whipping cream
- ½ cup sugar (or to taste)
- ½ cup bourbon
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla (or to taste)
Sprinkle gelatin on top of 1 cup cold milk. Set aside for 5 minutes.
In a small saucepan heat up cream and sugar. Once sugar dissolves, pour over the bloomed gelatin. Stir until gelatin dissolves. Stir in vanilla and bourbon. Refrigerate until not set, but cool. Spoon into mold(s) as the second layer. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
The Modern Gelatina 