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Mimi

Sour Cherry Panna Cotta

A faster than lightening Italian panna cotta with a beautiful velvety texture, topped with a sour cherry sauce made with Croatian cherry wine and pistachios, all providing every texture and complimentary flavor imaginable for your summer dessert from the refrigerator. Best of all, no ovens required!
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Chilling Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Croatian, Italian
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

Panna Cotta
  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 2 tsp gelatin powder
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch salt
Sour Cherry Sauce
  • 2½ cups sour cherries, pitted and chopped in halves or thirds
  • ¼ cup Croatian cherry wine (you could also use Kirsch or brandy or whatever flavor you want)
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2½ tbsp lemon juice
  • Zest of Two lemons
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp water
  • chopped pistachios for serving

Equipment

  • Small ice cream dishes or mini mason / jam jars work great. If you have the courage, molds are great vehicles for panna cotta. Just make sure they are really set before turning them out!

Method
 

For the Panna Cotta
  1. Grease your molds or dishes. Add half the heavy cream to a saucepan, along with the gelatin. Whisk it until the gelatin dissolves.
  2. Over lower heat, add in the sugar and mix until dissolved. You can touch the top of the cream and rub your fingers -- as long as nothing grainy there, you are good to go.
  3. Remove from the heat and add in the other half of the cream, the vanilla, and the pinch of salt. Divide the cream to your receptacles, whether dishes or molds.
  4. Loosely wrap in plastic and refrigerate until they are set. It was a really hot day where I was, and it took over four hours, so make sure you have the time!
For the Sour Cherry Sauce
  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the pitted and chopped sour cherries, Croatian cherry wine or liquor of choice, sugar, lemon juice, zest, and salt. Whisk together until the sugar has dissolved.
  2. Bring just under a boil, but make sure it continues on a low simmer, no pops or major bubbles. Stir and allow to thicken so you can coat the back of the spoon. This shouldn't take more than 5-7 minutes.
  3. Mix the cornstarch with the water until dissolved. Add to the sour cherry sauce, stir in completely and allow to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
  4. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla. Allow to cool completely, cover with plastic wrap (I like to let it touch the sauce to prevent a skin), and refrigerate until ready to use.
  5. Once both elements are ready, spoon the sour cherry sauce over the Panna Cotta and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios. If not serving right away, keep covered with plastic. These Sour Cherry Panna Cotta keep well in the refrigerator for up to a week!