Panna cotta is a delicately flavored, milky white backdrop for the season’s first strawberries, and here, sweetened cream is complemented with cultured dairy. Those fresh berries are playful pushovers—sprinkle them with sugar, and they gladly give over their ruby juice to make a quick no-cook syrup. St-Germain, should you use, adds a flower-blossom hint, a nod to one more thing that wows us with the arrival of spring. This easy-to-make dessert appeals as both light and luxe, and best of all, it lets the first-of-the-season fruit really stand out.
Sour Cream Panna Cotta with Macerated Strawberries
Ingredients
- 1 package powdered gelatin
- ¼ cup cold water
- ⅔ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 quart (about 1 pound) fresh strawberries*
- 1 –2 tablespoons elderflower liqueur, such as St-Germain (optional)
Instructions
- In a large metal bowl or vessel, prepare an ice bath. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the ¼ cup cold water to bloom, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan, over medium heat, combine ⅔ cup sugar and the half-and-half, stirring just until the sugar has dissolved. (The liquid should be steaming, but below a proper simmer.) Remove from the heat, add the gelatin, and stir until dissolved. Place the saucepan into the ice bath and, stirring frequently, let cool completely, about 15 to 20 minutes. (The mixture will begin to thicken ever so slightly.)
- Whisk in the sour cream until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a serving bowl, or distribute among 6 to 8 individual dessert cups, and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours or up to overnight.
- Hull the strawberries and cut into slices. Toss in a medium bowl with the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar; let sit until the fruit is softened and the liquid is syrupy, 1 hour or up to overnight. Stir in the elderflower liqueur, if using.
- Serve the panna cotta topped with the macerated strawberries.
Notes
*If it just wouldn’t be spring without a strawberry-rhubarb combo, swap in thinly sliced rhubarb for half the sliced berries.
PHILIPPE JEANJEAN’S SUGGESTED WINE PAIRING Rule of thumb: The dessert wine should be slightly sweeter than the dessert. Try a glass of sweet and fizzy Moscato d’Asti from northern Italy or a sweet and aromatic Jurançon from Gascony at the foot of the French Pyrenees.
