Ever heard of Panna Cotta?

While watching cooking shows, they often mentioned Panna Cotta.  All I could determine was that it appeared to be a dessert and it looked like a custard or a pudding.  Not something I ever recalled seeing on dessert menus, so I was intrigued about what it might be.  Panna Cotta is a northern Italian dessert, made with milk and cream and set with gelatin.  Most basic recipes I found were made with vanilla, but the flavoring and topping options are varied.  The recipe below is for 4 servings of vanilla Panna Cotta topped with fresh peaches.

  3/4 Tsp Unflavored Gelatin                                                     1 Cup 2% Greek Yogurt

  2 Tbl Water                                                                              1 Tsp Vanilla

  1/4 Cup Sugar                                                                          2 Large Peaches

  1 Cup Half & Half                                                                  

Place 4 small 6 ounce dishes - custard or brulee dishes work well on your counter so they are ready for when you need to pour the  prepared custard.

In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar and the half and half.  Heat over medium heat.  When you turn on the heat, in a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water.  Do Not Stir - set aside.  When the half and half mixture in the pan is hot but not boiling, stir in the gelatin mixture.  Whisk until dissolved.  Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the yogurt and vanilla until smooth.  Pour into dishes, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours until set.  When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator and top with peeled, diced peaches.