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You are here: Home / Continent / Europe / Southern Europe / Italy / Italy: Lavender Panna Cotta

Italy: Lavender Panna Cotta

January 17, 2015 by Mike Benayoun 13 Comments

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Panna cotta is a traditional Italian dessert, composed of silky flavored cream that is set with gelatin and typically served with a coulis. #Italy #dessert #196flavors

Italy

panna cotta

Today, we are traveling to the Piedmont region of Italy to demystify one of the most popular Italian desserts: panna cotta.

What is panna cotta?

Panna cotta comes from the Italian “cooked cream”, which is not perfectly exact as the cream is now just heated, even though it was initially cooked. It is a silky creamy dessert that is more like a canvas for cooks to create their own version.

This traditional dessert originated in Northern Italy, where the earliest recipes mention simmering the cream with fish bones. Indeed, the collagen from the fish bones would set the cream. Later, gelatin or other gelling agents like agar agar would be used.

An early version of panna cotta even called for egg whites to set the cream. In fact, the cream and the egg whites were cooked in a bain marie in an oven set at a low temperature for about an hour. This is how the Italians from Piedmont would use all the leftover egg whites after making this egg yolk rich pasta (pasta all’uovo) called tajarin, typically from this region. This bain marie or water bath technique is reminiscent of the one often used for crème brulee in France, although crème brulees call for egg yolks to set the cream.

Nowadays, panna cotta is extremely quick and easy to prepare. It can be prepared in less than 10 minutes and the ingredients are rather inexpensive, yet it makes a delightfully rich and fancy dessert. This is the reason why this dessert is so popular in Italian restaurants.

Italian panna cotta

What is the origin or panna cotta?

There are not a lot of sources confirming the origin of this dessert. It is generally said that panna cotta was invented in Langhe (a city south of Turin in Piedmont) by a Hungarian lady in the early 1900s. The first mention of a similar dessert in that region was the latte alla portoghese (Portuguese milk), in the cookbook Il cuoco piemontese perfezionato a Parigi (1766) by an anonymous author.

Panna cotta has a number of cousins, including blancmange in England or Crème bavaroise in France, which also use gelatin to set the cream.

Panna cotta variants

As I mentioned earlier, panna cotta is more like a canvas than a recipe. Indeed, the cream itself can be flavored with a number of ingredients, including vanilla which is the most traditional flavor, but also coffee, chocolate, hazelnut, frutti di bosco (berries), pistachio, lemon or mint.

Also, traditionally, panna cotta is served with berries, caramel or chocolate coulis, but again, chefs have let their imagination run wild to create unusual garnishes, like passion fruit, honey or chocolate shavings. There are now even savory versions of panna cotta served in some restaurants.

The version of panna cotta I chose to make is lavender infused panna cotta, served with a blueberry compote. To make the traditional vanilla panna cotta, just substitute a split vanilla pod for the lavender.

Also, I used agar agar which is a vegetarian gelatin substitute made from seaweed instead of meat or fish bones. You can actually use either one for a similar result. Just use 2 to 3 times the weight of agar agar in gelatin to set the same volume of cream.

This recipe is validated by our Italian culinary expert, Benny the Chef.

traditional panna cotta

5 from 1 vote
panna cotta
Print
Panna Cotta
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Panna cotta is a traditional dessert from Northern Italy, composed of silky flavored cream that is set with gelatin and typically served with a coulis.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean, Vegetarian
Servings: 8 people
Author: Mike Benayoun
Ingredients
For the panna cotta
  • 4 cups heavy cream
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons dried lavender
  • 4 teaspoons agar agar
  • Neutral oil
For the blueberry compote
  • 2 cups blueberries
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • Juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
Panna Cotta
  1. Pour heavy cream, sugar, agar agar and lavender in saucepan.
  2. Bring to a boil while stirring regularly.
  3. Let sit for 5 minutes to infuse.
  4. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to a bowl.
  5. Lightly grease 8 ramekins with oil.
  6. Fill the ramekins (or other containers) with the mixture.
  7. Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably 4 hours.
  8. Turn panna cotta over on a plate and garnish with blueberry compote (recipe below)
Blueberry compote
  1. Place half of the blueberry with the sugar and lemon in a saucepan.
  2. Cook on medium high heat while stirring until blueberry release their juice, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Set aside and add the remaining half of fresh blueberries and mix.

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Mike Benayoun
Mike Benayoun
Mike is “the devil” of the 196 flavors' duo. Nicknamed as such by his friends, he is constantly in search of unusual recipes and techniques with impossible to find ingredients. The devil is always pushing the envelope, whether it is with humor or culinary surprises.
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Filed Under: Dairy, Dessert, Europe, Gluten-free, Italy, Piedmont, Southern Europe, Vegetarian Tagged With: agar-agar, gelatine, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda @ForkandForage says

    January 17, 2015 at 5:53 pm

    This looks beautiful. I bet the combination of lavender, blueberries and lemon tastes wonderful.

    Reply
  2. Linda (Meal Planning Maven) says

    January 17, 2015 at 10:34 pm

    Your panna cotta is just lovely! I can only imagine how heavenly the combination of lavender, blueberires and lemon must taste. Beautiful post!

    Reply
  3. Mike BenayounMike Benayoun says

    January 18, 2015 at 3:53 am

    Thanks a lot Lindas 😉 I have to admit, the tangy blueberry compote balanced the silky and smooth panna cotta perfectly

    Reply
  4. Suzy @ The Mediterranean Dish says

    January 18, 2015 at 11:39 pm

    Lavender and blueberries, an enticing flavor combination! Well done, Mike. Pinning for later!

    Reply
  5. Susie Gall says

    January 19, 2015 at 12:50 pm

    This is a stunning dish and I thank you for sharing it. Delicate, floral and perfect. …and the photography showcases it beautifully. Great job.

    Reply
  6. Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says

    January 19, 2015 at 1:25 pm

    Wow that looks and sounds good! And so elegant…I want to come to YOUR house for dinner!

    Reply
  7. Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says

    January 19, 2015 at 6:22 pm

    wow! what a perfect dessert! Lavender must be great, delicious and relaxing.

    Reply
  8. Patricia @ Grab a Plate says

    January 20, 2015 at 3:54 am

    This is beautiful! I love the blueberry with lavender!

    Reply
  9. peter @feedyoursoultoo says

    January 20, 2015 at 10:00 pm

    Absolutely love this dessert. the berries are so vibrant.

    Reply
  10. Elena says

    January 26, 2015 at 5:18 pm

    This panna cotta sounds fantastic and looks just beautiful! 🙂

    Reply
  11. Bernadette says

    December 5, 2018 at 1:23 am

    Are you using agar flakes or powder? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Mike BenayounMike Benayoun says

      December 5, 2018 at 6:49 am

      Hey Bernadette, I am using agar agar powder.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 23 Simple Panna Cotta Recipes: Party Desserts | Chief Health says:
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