Recipe: Lemony Yogurt Panna Cotta

Good timing for smitten kitchen to post this recipe, as I had a gluten-free-eating friend coming over for dinner Sunday evening. I’d never made panna cotta, thinking that it was a long, labor-intensive project. Turns out, it could hardly be easier — kudos to Deb for making complicated recipes less intimidating.

This panna cotta seems to beg for variations: I made it straight, just flavored with lemon juice and a little bit of sugar, but my mind kept wandering to cinnamon, nutmeg, and other flavoring possibilities. The panna cotta turned out like a fluffed-up yogurt; really nice and not too heavy, with a creamy mouth-feel. F, S, and I enjoyed it with maple syrup, walnuts, and a dash of cinnamon, though it would also be good with honey or jam and another kind of nut. If you are a sweet breakfast fan, you can totally get away with granola sprinkled over a cup of this panna cotta — it’s made with yogurt, after all!

Lemony Yogurt Panna Cotta (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients

2 tbsp water
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2.5 tsp (7g) gelatin
2 cups Greek yogurt (I used about 1/2 cup 0% fat + 1.5 cups full-fat)
1.5 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
Optional, for serving: honey, maple syrup or jam + chopped almonds and/or walnuts + dash of cinnamon OR a sprinkling of granola

Procedure

In a small bowl, stir together the first three ingredients and let them sit for 10-15 minutes, or until they begin to gel.
In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt and 1 cup of milk.
In a small saucepan, combine the remaining milk with the 1/2 cup of cream and the sugar, and heat it to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
Once the heating mixture simmers, whisk in the gelatin and stir until it is dissolved.
Whisk the warm mixture into the yogurt-milk mixture until smooth.
Spoon equal portions into small cups or ramekins and refrigerate for 2+ hours.
Serve it plain or drizzled with honey, maple syrup, or jam and topped with some chopped nuts.

Enjoy!