Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta
Last week I held a free online cooking class with the lovely folks over at AARP Maryland. It was so, so much fun and it felt terrific to be teaching again. I really miss it and and am thankful for the opportunity to teach online. And I wasn’t the only one excited…we had over 400 people registered for class!! If you were one of them, thank you!! Wowsers!
I’ll be teaching a free class each month through the end of 2023, with a demo to be held the Thursday prior to the class. This week I’m scheduled for Thursday, May 11 at noon on the AARP Facebook page and on Saturday on Zoom. Look to my FB page for the registration link soon.
In the April class, we made this really delicious and oh so tangy Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta. It’s the same vibe as a regular custard, but no eggs, so you’re free to taste as you go to see if you’d like things more or less sweet and so on. Pnna Cotta is a make-ahead dish because it’s going to need a couple of hours to chill and set in the fridge.
Panna cotta is thickened with gelatin, where Creme Catalana uses cornstarch and creme brule uses a water bath. All are excellent renditions with slightly different textures. I’ll whip up a panna cotta during the summer because it comes together in a flash and is creamy and cold. Top it with some fresh berries tossed with some sugar and mint. It’s delicious!
Panna Cotta can be placed in a variety of cute jars - and topped with fruit or jams as shown here… yum!
Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt plain or vanilla
- 3/4 cup milk whole
- 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar sifted
- pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
- Bloom the gelatin: Put one tablespoon of water into a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the water, then set aside to let soften.
- Whisk the half and half and yogurt together with the vanilla until smooth, then set aside.
- In a small saucepan, whisk the confectioners' sugar into the milk, then heat the milk until hot but not bubbling. Remove from the heat, and stir in the water and gelatin mixture, stirring until the gelatin is dissolved.
- Whisk the milk mixture into the half and half-yogurt mixture, then pour it into a two ramekins, cover with plastic wrap and chill for two to three hours, or overnight.
- If you're feeling fancy, hull and slice some fresh strawberries, then add a little bit of sugar and a little bit of balsamic vinegar. Stir well and let set for 15 minute prior to serving. Top panna cotta with strawberry mixture.
Notes
I love to use these cute little 6 ounce Weck jars to serve. They have glass lids and look super fancy! This dessert can be easily doubled, tripled or quadrupled.