Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries

Vanilla panna cotta is such a refreshingly light yet extremely popular Italian dessert. These softly set and creamy Italian puddings are so silky smooth that they are just delightful to have at the end of a meal and they look really elegant too. It can be served simply with any type of fruit toppings, caramel sauce and even chocolate sauce and it is always one of my favorite desserts. Since I still have some vanilla beans I decided to use them to make this panna cotta instead of vanilla extract. As for the topping I macerate the strawberries in balsamic vinegar with a bit of sugar. The tangy taste of the strawberries goes so well with the silky panna cotta.

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp gelatin powder
3 tbsp water
1/3 cup sugar
½ vanilla bean – split and scrape the seeds
2 cups strawberries – clean and sliced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 ½ tbsp sugar

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin powder on the water. Stir and set it aside to allow the gelatin to dissolve and bloom.
2. Combined the milk, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla bean in a saucepan. Cook over low heat and just before it starts to boil, remove it from the heat.
3. Add in the gelatin and mix until they’re dissolved. Pour it into 4 ramekins or glasses and refrigerate until completely set.
4. Combined the strawberries, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Mix well and let is macerate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.
5. To serve, if using ramekins run a small knife around each the ramekins, dip the bottom of each ramekin quickly in a bowl of hot water. Invert onto a dessert plate and surround the panna cotta with strawberries. If using glasses, just top it with the strawberries and serve.