How do you make Panna Cotta even better? Add chocolate!
Cream, milk, cocoa and some berries on top. Perfection!
If you're not down with dairy as part of your paleo lifestyle, this really is not for you ... but I would encourage you to consider it - it is a great pack of fat, good dairy and an ideal dish with which to enjoy some berries.
Having primal tastes, the over sugared offerings in hermetically sealed packaging from the supermarket really does not cut it!
Here's how to keep it paleo ...
Use the ramekins that you will be pouring the dessert into as measures.
Warm up cream and milk, or buttermilk. I go for equal quantities of each since I love cream. If you're concerned about using milk, just go for all cream. Maybe experiment with yoghurt, mascarpone, raw milk ... do what you feel is right for you.
Warm up ... don't boil, don't get it frothy, don't get it excited ... just warm it up.
Add a good tablespoon of cocoa powder per ramekin of liquid. Stir this in well, whisking in if necessary to get all the lumps out. Keep stirring to ensure that the cocoa is really well combined.
Meanwhile, soften some gelatine.
Gelatine comes in many forms, but I like beef gelatine in sheets. The packet will tell you how much you need for the quantity of liquid, but do err just on the slight side - you want that classic wobble, not fully set.
Once softened, and with the cream blend warmed through, squeeze out the gelatine and drop it into the warm liquid.
Stir it through and then pour out into ramekins.
Back up ... you missed that, didn't you?
It's really that simple - soften the amount of gelatine required for the volume you've made and just stir it in. You could add sweetener in, but I don't like to - Panna Cotta done right is pure! Cream ... that's it.
Dress with a few berries - strawberries would be an obvious choice, perhaps with a little sprig of mint. I went with a few blueberries.
Sweeter berries will form a perfect counterpoint to the bitterness of the dark cocoa, which is initially offset by the fattiness of the cream, but an additional sweetness will really bring out the best in all the flavours.
Enjoy! I'm sure you will ...
