Panna Cotta with Peaches and Lavender Honey
If I were to pick one desert that is universally loved by my dinner guests, it would have to be Panna Cotta. This sumptuous little dish, a specialty of the Piedmont in Italy, is increasingly showing up on restaurant desert menus. Its name is literally “cooked cream.” The pure white desert is all about contrast and flavors. The Panna Cotta itself is a rich, soothing vanilla and almond flavored almost pudding. It is the perfect foil for the color and acidic contrast of fruit. Think of Panna Cotta as a blank canvas for your creativity and have fun!
Panna Cotta hard to mess up, but once again its quality depends on the quality of ingredients used to prepare it. I love it rich and served with really fine fruit.

To make the Panna Cotta:
Eight servings

• Two packages of unflavored gelatin (make sure its fresh, older gelatin doesn’t set as well)


• Two cups of whole milk


• Two cups heavy cream


• One cup of confectioner’s sugar


• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (use the best quality vanilla you can find. I use Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla)


• ½ teaspoon of pure almond extract

Butter 8 ½ cup ramekins and set in a tray.

Dissolve the gelatin in a small bowl using ¼ cup of the milk. Allow to sit for a few minutes.

Heat the remaining milk, cream and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Watch carefully or it will foam up and spill over! As soon as it boils, pull it off the heat and add the dissolved gelatin and flavorings and whisk well to ensure that everything is well combined. Pour the mixture into the ramekins, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

To serve:

• Fresh peaches (or your choice of berries or fruit, fresh or cooked into a sauce)


• Lavender (or other strongly flavored) honey


• Almonds for decoration

Loosen the Panna Cotta by running a knife along the edge of the ramekin. Invert and shake it free onto the serving dish. If it is really stuck, heat the bottom of the ramekin in hot water and try again. Cut the peaches into attractive shapes, decorate around the dish, place almonds on top and drizzle with the honey.

Wine Choices: Panna Cotta marries well with many desert wines. I like it with Moscato d”Asti (especially with peaches) or Brachetto d’Aqui (especially with raspberries!) (Italy, Chambers Rutherglen Muscat (Australia), Muscat de Beaumes de Venise or a Sauterne (France) or even a great Canadian Ice wine.