Vanilla Panna Cotta with Strawberries

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Panna Cotta is an Itlaian dessert that means "cooked cream". Its a simple dessert.It can have several toppings like espresso jelly,raspberry etc . I used whipping cream but the original recipe called for heavy cream. You can also use half and half in its place. You can set and serve them in wine glass and top it with fresh fruits as well.

Ingredients: (makes 6 individual servings)

Strawberry jelly

250ml water

50g white sugar

300g fresh strawberries

zest of 1 lemon

4g gelatin

Mashed Strwberries

Directions:

• Pick out strawberries 2 to 3 per servings chop them and keep them aside. Mash the remaining strawberries well to a paste.
• Keep the ramekins or any desert serving cups ready grease it slightly using a neutral oil like sunflower.
• Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and bring it to boil until the sugar has dissolved. Let it cool. 
• Add the mashed strawberries in the cooled syrup and leave it for 30 mins.
• Soften the gelatin in a cup of cold water. 
• Pass the strawberry syrup through a sieve and separate the pulp and the seeds.Add the lemon zest.
• Heat the  strawberry syrup(sieved) and add the softened gelatin and stir until dissolved.
• Arrange the chopped strawberries in the prepared moulds and pour the syrup upto quarter of the cup and freeze it till it sets.

For Panna Cotta

1 package (7 grams) unflavored powdered gelatin

1/4 cup (60 ml) cold milk

2 1/4 cups (540 ml) heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered or icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla paste or purevanilla extract

Directions:

• Sprinkle gelatin over cold milk in a small bowl and leave it for 10 mins(it will soften).
• Combine the cream and sugar in  a saucepan and bring it just to boil keep stirring. When the cream is very hot put in the gelatin and stir until the gelatin has dissolved completely. Add the vanilla essence.
• When the cream is warm pour into the mould with the strawberry jelly and freeze for an hour or until it sets.
• Unmould the panna cotta by immersing the moulds briefly in hot water and turn upside down on a plate.
• you can pour the remaining strawberry syrup over the panna cotta.

Note:

*you can use coffee mugs as a mould too.