Panna Cotta means "cooked cream" in Italian. It originated in Piedmont, the North-West region of Italy. On a recent trip to Alba in Piedmont, I had the most heavenly version of this simple dessert. Piedmont cream is thick and tangy, like French crème fraîche. As I learned from Mario Batali, the best way to reproduce panna cotta in US is to combine whole-milk yogurt with heavy cream. I am partial to Karoun, but you can use any plain yogurt. Start this dessert the day before serving since you have to chill it overnight. Panna Cotta can be made up to 3 days before serving. Here is my adaptation of Mario's recipe.

Serves 6

2 Tbsp water
1 1/4 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 cups whipping (or heavy) cream
1 1/4 cups whole-milk yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar

1. Put water into a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over it. Let stand for 10 minutes or until gelatin softens.
2. In a large bowl combine 1 cup cream, yogurt, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. I use a large (4 cup) glass measuring cup with a spout to make pouring of panna cotta into ramekins in Sept 4 easier.
3. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the remaining 1 cup of cream with sugar and bring to a simmer while stirring. Remove from heat, and add softened gelatin. Stir until gelatin dissolves.
4. Pour the hot cream mixture into the cool yogurt cream mixture and whisk until smooth. Divide the mixture among 6 ramekins, tea cups, or small bowls, pouring 1/2 cup into each.
5. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
6. You can serve panna cotta right in the ramekins, or invert each ramekin onto a plate. To invert panna cotta, set the ramekins into a pan of hot water for 2 minutes. Make sure the water does not get into the ramekins. Run a knife around the edges of ramekins and invert them onto plates. Remove the ramekins. Top panna cotta with berry sauce or strawberries in balsamic vinegar and serve.

Berry Sauce

2 cup of fresh or frozen berries of your choice (such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries)
1 Tbsp sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp lemon juice

In a small saucepan, combine berries (no need to defrost if using frozen), sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until berries release their juices, 5-10 minutes. Taste and add more sugar if necessary. Spoon over panna cotta.

Strawberries in Balsamic Vinegar

1 pint basket of strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar

Mix strawberries with balsamic vinegar and sugar. Let stand 30 minutes, mixing occasionally. Spoon over panna cotta.