White Chocolate Panna Cotta
Silk in a glass, crowned with rubies
The Italians, with typical modesty, named this dessert "cooked cream"—panna cotta—as if to suggest it were nothing special. This is roughly equivalent to the French calling champagne "fizzy wine." Panna cotta is one of the great achievements of Italian pastry, a dessert that manages to be both impossibly silky and structurally sound, wobbling provocatively on the plate without ever quite surrendering to gravity.
The white chocolate variation takes an already elegant creation and pushes it toward decadence. White chocolate—which purists will note is not technically chocolate at all, lacking cocoa solids—contributes a kind of sweet creaminess that amplifies rather than competes with the cream. The danger, of course, is tipping into saccharine territory, which is why the raspberry-cherry coulis is essential rather than optional. That bright acidic punch is what prevents the dessert from cloying, transforming it from something merely sweet into something genuinely complex.
The glasses make individual portions easy, and the two-layer presentation—that pale ivory beneath a pool of ruby red—is undeniably beautiful. This is a dessert that photographs well, though frankly, at this level of deliciousness, photography feels beside the point.
Method
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1
Bloom the gelatin
Pour 60ml of cold milk into a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin powder evenly over the surface. Leave for 5-10 minutes until it absorbs the liquid and becomes spongy.
💡 Don't stir—let the gelatin hydrate naturally.
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2
Heat the cream mixture
In a saucepan, combine cream, remaining milk, sugar, vanilla paste, and salt. Heat over medium flame until steaming but not boiling.
💡 Boiling will give the cream a cooked flavor you don't want.
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3
Dissolve the gelatin
Remove from heat. Whisk in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved—you should see no lumps or undissolved granules.
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4
Add the chocolate
Add white chocolate in three additions, whisking until each is fully melted and smooth before adding the next.
💡 Patience here prevents the chocolate from seizing.
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5
Pour and chill
Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Pour approximately 150ml into each of 5 glasses, leaving room for the coulis. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
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6
Make the coulis
Thaw berries completely. Blend until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve to remove raspberry seeds. Add sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Taste and adjust. Chill thoroughly.
💡 The coulis must be cold before it touches the panna cotta.
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7
Finish and serve
Spoon approximately 30ml of cold coulis over each set panna cotta. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 24 hours.
Notes & Tips
On white chocolate
- • Proper couverture (Valrhona Ivoire, Callebaut W2) gives the best flavor. Supermarket chips work but require less sugar—taste and adjust.
Compote variation
- • For a thicker topping that holds its shape, simmer the thawed fruit with sugar for 5-10 minutes until jammy. Blend or leave chunky as preferred.
Make-ahead
- • The panna cotta keeps beautifully for 3 days refrigerated. Add the coulis just before serving for the cleanest layers.
Without gelatin
- • Agar-agar can substitute at a ratio of 1:1, but the texture will be firmer and less wobbly. Some prefer this; traditionalists may object.