Panna Cotta

This is one of my all time favorite desserts. While it looks and tastes impressive, the beauty of it is that it is SOOOO easy to make! Easy enough that you (or even better: a few friends) could make it yourself the day before the wedding. The only tricky part can be plating it which you could skip all together if you just serve it in little shot glasses or champagne flutes. Here’s a super simple (and “foolproof”) recipe:

Ingredients:

3 cups cream

1 package (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Put 1 cup cream in a medium saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over it; let sit for 5 minutes. Turn heat to low and cook, stirring, until gelatin dissolves completely.

2. Add remaining cream and sugar to gelatin mixture and heat gently, just until sugar dissolves; add vanilla.

3. Pour mixture into 4 large or 6 small custard cups. Chill until set, about 4 hours. Serve in cups, or dip cups in hot water for about 10 seconds, then invert onto plates. Serve within 24 hours.

*By the way, for our topping we used warmed strawberry jam sprinkled with pomegranate seeds….so easy and really delicious!