Small Win #1: The only panna cotta recipe you'll ever need
One perfect base recipe, lots of flavour options + *that* liquorice panna cotta from MasterChef
Hello and welcome to Small Wins!
In life, it’s the small steps that often lead to the BIG wins — so every other week I share a small win that has the power to enhance your cooking, your home, your life.
Today I’m sharing a recipe for panna cotta: one of the easiest, most delicious desserts out there. But this isn’t just any old panna cotta recipe, it’s a recipe for all panna cottas.
This post shares a master base recipe plus a flavour matrix that guides you through how to tweak that base recipe in different taste directions, based on your propensity for bitter/sour/sweet/salty/umami flavours (or just, you know, your mood).
Prefer something on the tangier, less sweet side? A buttermilk panna cotta might be just the thing.
Hate liquorice but love coffee? No problem.
A huge fan of pistachio ice cream? Well, then you’ll love the pistachio version.
Everyone needs a great dessert recipe, and this is an easy one to add to your cooking repertoire. Plus, I’m sharing the recipe for the liquorice panna cotta that I made on MasterChef — at long last.
Love,
Alexina
Coming up in the next few weeks - Why the best homemade pizza dough is also the easiest, a recipe that will change your mind about ratatouille + the avocado crema that you’ll be adding to all your tacos going forwards
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PANNA COTTA: THE DINNER PARTY DREAM
Whilst I love making desserts, I am not everyone. Not everyone has the sweet tooth that I do. Not everyone feels comfortable turning out an elaborate end-of-meal creation.
But here’s what I do know: at some point, no matter how you feel about dessert, you’ll probably have to make one. And when that time comes, you’ll be glad to have a recipe for panna cotta up your sleeve because it’s one of the easiest and most perfect desserts.
Here’s why panna cottas are so great:
They’re supremely easy, quick + cheap to make (1 pan, 5 ingredients, no need for the oven)
They strike the right balance between indulgence and lightness, making them the perfect end to a meal
They can be eaten by a wide range of people since they are both gluten and egg free (sadly the gelatine stops them from being vegetarian, though!)
They can be made up to 2 days ahead — ideal when you’re hosting a dinner party
What’s not to love?
THE SECRETS TO A GREAT PANNA COTTA (+ A NOTE ON GELATINE)
Panna cottas are a forgiving dessert — even a mediocre one is pretty nice — but my goodness, when they’re great they’re bloody delicious.
Here’s what I’ve learnt makes a superior panna cotta:
Using the least amount of gelatine possible: your panna cotta should barely hold together; it should melt as it hits your tongue; it should wobble violently. My recipe uses less gelatine than the average.
Not always defaulting to caster sugar — using light muscovado is a small switch that can round out deeper, more complex flavours such as coffee, chocolate and, yes, liquorice. I alternate between caster sugar and light muscovado depending on the flavour.
Not using too much cream — panna cottas should strike a balance between richness and lightness. Some recipes use only cream which can result in a cloying dessert. But cutting the double cream with a lower fat dairy (e.g. milk) or even water ensures the right balance.
A note on gelatine
Gelatine sheets operate differently to powdered gelatine so it is best to stick to whichever variety is specified by the recipe.
I find the risk of oversetting your panna cotta to be greater with gelatine powder. It’s also harder to measure consistently unless you have a set of micro scales (a useful bit of kit if you’re an avid baker who cares about precision). For this reason my recipe uses gelatine sheets, which are widely available.
That being said, gelatine sheets vary depending on which grade they are: platinum, bronze, gold etc. I’ve only ever seen platinum grade gelatine sheets in the supermarket but it has been a different story in professional kitchens. It’s always good to double check that what you’re working with matches the recipe as the different grades are not fungible.
PANNA COTTA 4 EVERYONE
Many of us rely on the crutch of a recipe: a recipe provides comfort, it guides, it offers some guardrails. But cooking becomes fun when you realise how easy it is to work with a base recipe and then ring the flavour changes.
Any panna cotta recipe I have ever developed has been based on the one that I’m about to share with you now, and in the flavour matrix further below there are lots of ideas for how you can take this one recipe in multiple flavour directions.
The base recipe
Makes 4 — 6
Ingredients
400ml double cream
75ml whole milk
80g sugar
60ml boiled water (I find this helpful for incorporating the flavouring ingredient into the panna cotta, plus it lightens everything up)
2 sheets of platinum grade gelatine
Equipment
4 dariole moulds/dessert coupes/small glasses) - n.b. if using coupes or glasses you will not un-mould the panna cottas, rather they’ll be served in the glass
Sieve
Piece of muslin (optional)
Method
Do your prep: cover your gelatine with cold water and place aside (you are “blooming” the gelatine); if using dariole moulds, rinse them out with water and shake to remove any excess (but don’t dry them).
In a saucepan, heat the cream, milk and sugar together over medium until steaming (you want it hot enough to activate the gelatine but not boiling, as this will affect the flavour). The sugar should be fully dissolved at this point, too.
Remove the gelatine sheets from the water (they’ll be all floppy now) and whisk them into the hot cream — they should dissolve instantaneously but do make sure that everything is well combined.
Strain the mixture through a sieve into a jug (for the pistachio and miso variations, I like to line the sieve with a piece of muslin).
Divide the mix amongst your moulds or glasses (this quantity fills 4 dariole moulds generously, or 5 more moderately). Place on a tray and transfer to the fridge to set — it will take at least 2 to 3 hours for a soft-set panna cotta, or overnight for something that holds its shape better (gelatine continues to set for up to 24 hours).
Note - The coconut variation listed in the table below doesn’t set as quickly/firmly, so factor in a full overnight rest for that one. Alternatively you could increase the gelatine quantity by 50%.
To serve, unmould the panna cottas on to dessert plates: briefly dip each mould in hot water then cover with a dessert plate. Holding the mould against the plate flip everything over. Give the mould a firm shake so that the panna cotta releases — you should feel (or even hear) this happen. If it doesn’t come out, just dip the mould back into the hot water for another second or two and try again.
The Flavour Matrix
This matrix takes the recipe above and shows you how to tweak the flavour profile.
Down the left hand side there are your flavour options, and across the top the different components of the recipe (double cream, milk + water and sugar). The gelatine stays the same regardless, but the table shows you how the other components change depending on the flavour you’ve chosen to make.
Example 1 - Buttermilk Panna Cotta: Follow the base recipe but swap half of the double cream for buttermilk, add vanilla and opt for white caster sugar to sweeten.
Example 2 - Malted Panna Cotta: Follow the base recipe but use 40g light muscovado (instead of 80g) and add 80g malt extract at the same time as the sugar.
There’s further guidance in the next section (e.g. how to steep ingredients etc.) but feel free to hit me up in the comments if you’re unsure about anything!
SOME IMPORTANT NOTES
I avoid fruit-flavoured panna cottas because the addition of fruit puree makes it hard to achieve that light quivering texture. IMHO fruit is best served alongside a panna cotta rather than in it.
Where the matrix says to steep an ingredient, follow this method:
Heat the milk and cream with the relevant ingredient. Once steaming, remove the pan from the heat, cover with a lid and leave to infuse for an hour. Strain the mix through a sieve into a measuring jug. Add the boiled water then weigh the liquid and top it up to 535ml with more cream or whole milk, if need be. Add the sugar and proceed with step 2.
When adding pastes/nut butters (e.g. miso, pistachio) for minimal graininess in the final product pass the mix through a piece of muslin set inside a sieve.
For the salted caramel panna cotta:
Make the caramel in a small saucepan and once ready, add in the salt, followed by the cream, milk and extra sugar. Heat back up to steaming (the caramel should mostly dissolve into the cream) and proceed as normal. The sieving at the end of the process will sort out any leftover bits of caramel.
These are the specific products I use — if you have different brands of the same ingredient, please add to taste:
Cortas Orange Blossom Water (available at Sous Chef)
Clearspring Yaemon Tamari Soya Sauce (available at Ocado + Sous Chef) — n.b. this stuff is double strength.
Nescafe Instant Espresso Powder (available at Ocado + all the major supermarkets)
Miso Tasty White Miso (available at Ocado + the major supermarkets)
Meridian Barley Malt Extract (available at Holland & Barrett + Sous Chef)
THE LIQUORICE PANNACOTTA THAT I COOKED ON MASTERCHEF
I never intended to gatekeep this recipe. Its original destiny was to feature in my cookbook Bitter but it didn’t make the cut (I forget why). I thought it might fit into my next cookbook (Sweet) but that didn’t work out either. Several years on from when my liquorice panna cotta got its first outing on TV, finally — finally — I’m here to present you with the recipe that got everyone talking. It’s gloriously simple and has converted even the most ardent liquorice haters.
As you’ll see it’s based on the formula I’ve already shared with you, but this recipe also includes the compote and tuiles that I made on MasterChef — so now you have the opportunity to make the exact same dessert that John and Gregg ate and loved! Bonus: all of the elements can be made ahead.
A note on blackcurrants
The inclusion of the blackcurrant compote — the sourness of which helps to prevent the liquorice flavour from being too cloying — is, I believe, one of the factors that makes this recipe so delicious. Blackcurrants can be a little tricky to get hold of but they are in season right now so do your best! Sometimes you can order bags of frozen blackcurrants online. Otherwise, I have been known to pick the blackcurrants out of a bag of frozen mixed fruit… it’s worth it, I promise!
Makes 4 — 6
Ingredients
For the panna cotta
400ml double cream
75ml whole milk
90g light muscovado sugar
60ml freshly boiled water
2.5 tsp fine liquorice powder
2 leaves of platinum grade gelatine
For the blackcurrant compote
200g blackcurrants, fresh or frozen
40g caster sugar
1 tbsp/15ml lemon juice (eyeball this)
1 tbsp/15ml water (eyeball this)
For the cocoa nib tuiles
Adapted from Ravinder Bhogal’s gorgeous cookbook Jikoni
30g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
25g liquid glucose
25g plain flour, sifted
2 tbsp cocoa nibs
Equipment
4 x dariole moulds (or 6 small glasses)
Silicone pastry mat or greaseproof paper
Small round cookie cutter (optional)
Method
For the panna cotta
Start with your prep: cover your gelatine with cold water and leave to soak; boil the kettle; if using dariole moulds rinse them out with water and tap on the side of your sink to remove any excess.
In a small bowl or heatproof glass whisk a tiny splash of the boiled water into the liquorice powder. Add another splash, if needed, to get it to a thick paste. Whisk until there are no lumps then gradually incorporate the rest of the boiled water.
In a saucepan, heat the cream, milk and sugar over a medium heat until the mix is steaming and the sugar has fully dissolved. Add the liquorice water to the cream, then remove the gelatine sheets from the water and add them in as well — they should dissolve instantaneously. Whisk everything together until combined.
Strain the mix through a sieve into a jug then divide between your moulds. Place on a tray and transfer to the fridge to set — it will take 2 to 3 hours for a soft-set panna cotta, or overnight for something that holds its shape better.
To serve, unmould the panna cottas on to dessert plates: briefly dip each mould in hot water then cover with a dessert plate. Holding the mould against the plate flip everything over. Give the mould a firm shake so that the panna cotta releases — you should feel (or even hear) this happen. If it doesn’t come out, just dip the mould back into the hot water for another second or two and try again. Serve with the blackcurrant compote and cocoa nib tuile.
For the blackcurrant compote
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer until the blackcurrants have started to break down and the mixture becomes syrupy. Take off the heat and leave to cool. The compote can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days.
For the cocoa nib tuiles
Add the butter, sugar and liquid glucose to a saucepan and heat on low until everything has melted together and the sugar has mostly dissolved. Take off the heat and stir through the flour just until combined, then place aside for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160 C fan and line a baking tray with the silicone pastry mat or greaseproof paper.
Roll the mixture into balls, roughly the size of gobstoppers, and place spaced apart on the lined baking tray (don’t place too close to the edges as this mix will spread out considerably).
Bake until the mix has spread out thinly and is golden, around 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and immediately sprinkle over the cocoa nibs so that they stick to the tuiles. Next take the cookie cutter and use to score discs in the tuiles (this will facilitate neat round edges). Once cool gently snap the tuiles — they should come away in neat circles. Alternatively, you can forgo the use of the cookie cutter and just snap the tuiles into random shards. Store between sheets of greaseproof paper in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
A FOOTNOTE ON THE PLEASURES OF DARK, DANGEROUS LIQUORICE
Liquorice is nature’s dark, complex candy with a flavour so distinct it could never please everyone — it doesn’t even try. The world cleaves into liquorice lovers and liquorice loathers, perhaps because one of the challenges with liquorice is that it refuses to be tied down: it is both bitter and sweet, harsh and soft, metallic and earthy, medicinal and caramel-like. Sometimes liquorice is mimicked with anise, but true aficionados know that authenticity can only be found in the ground root of the liquorice plant, which is uniquely complex in flavour.
I didn’t grow up loving liquorice. My earliest memories of the stuff were of my grandfather eating Liquorice Allsorts and, although I didn’t hate them, I was far more inclined to try to covert his Bakewell Slices. It wasn’t until adulthood that I came to appreciate that my love of aniseed flavours (fennel, basil, caraway etc) might stretch to liquorice.
Liquorice can be overwhelming as a flavour, but learning to work with it can yield some exquisite results. It’s helpful to know that it can be toned down by cream or balanced by sharp flavours, such as blackcurrant and lemon (the latter being a favourite of the Swedes). Liquorice’s natural sweetness also means that it loves salt, with salted varieties being particularly popular in Finland. Finnish fans will argue that the salt brings all the other flavours into harmony — like a more complex salted caramel — but I’m also prepared to accept that it may simply come down to Finnish sisu: a stoic determination in the face of challenging things.
Liquorice has some remarkable health properties — it has been reported to be anti-inflammatory, anti-virus, anti-ulcer, anti-carcinogenic — yet it is also, itself, dangerous: the sweet-tasting substance glycrrhizin, found in true liquorice root, is capable of inducing high blood pressure and irregular heart rhythms. The NHS warns against eating more than 57g of black liquorice a day for risk of ‘potentially serious health problems’ but I suspect there is limited cause for concern. After all, liquorice doesn’t feel like a daily habit sort of food — it’s purely something to savour in moments of dark devotion.
Looking for more liquorice delights? My cookbook, BITTER, has a whole chapter on the stuff, including the recipe for this pineapple, liquorice + rum cake:
FURTHER READING + RESOURCES
My favourite liquorice powder to cook with is this gorgeous Calabrian liquorice that I get from Sous Chef (a great source of 'cheffy’ ingredients)
The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit is a wonderful resource for further flavour inspiration
If you want to get extra with your panna cotta, may I suggest Nicola Lamb’s Neopolitan Panna Cotta?
SHARING IS CARING
If you think someone else would benefit from this post, go ahead and share the knowledge!
DISCLOSURES
This post may contain affiliate links. I only link to items that I have paid for in full and have used extensively.
This is luscious - love the way you've inlcuded all the flexibilities.
Fabulous 😍