My Panna Cotta Journey

What follows is a condensed, fictionalized stream of thought in regards to making a dairy-based gelatin dessert:

Panna Cotta - it's fun to say! It's also easy to make. Except for the small detail that it separates on me. There's the super smooth top portion where all the cream has risen to and a gelatinous, clear section at the bottom. No matter, because it's still delicious. It's delicious and it's easy to make. Yum. With fresh summer fruits. Double yum.

Hm, wait. Since it's easy to make, I'll likely be making it a lot, so is there a way to fix the layer issue?

Out comes Nigel Slater (or rather his remarkable book - Kitchen Diaries - I believe the man himself has been happily out for a while now) - I've made his rosewater yoghurt panna cotta previously and it was perfectly smooth. Let's add yoghurt into the mix!

Harumph. Adding the yoghurt cured my panna cotta of its separation anxiety, but it now has a grainy texture for some reason. What happened?

Scientist nr.1 (my mother) walks by, warily eyes the ever present panna cotta pots in front of me and offhandedly mentions that the yoghurt is curdling from the heat of the milk I am adding it to.
You just bought yourself another batch of panna cotta, Scientist nr.1! (My father will be Scientist nr. 2, I call him for math advice.)

Yes!! Letting the milk/cream/vanilla mix cool before adding the yoghurt, works! But in the course of all the tinkering my gelatin proportions are all off and my dessert is either runny or a Jell-o consistency. Argh!!!!

Grumble. Tinker. Wait. Taste.

Mmmm... Smooth, creamy, tangy from the yoghurt Panna Cotta! With some fruit on top. Yum.

 ***

You guys, what I'm trying to say is that I made a LOT of Panna Cotta. You should too, but you should make it without any mistakes. For that, try to follow the below measurements and you should be fine. Even if something goes wrong (variations in dairy, gelatin, whatever) it'll still be delicious, trust me, I have about 10 panna cotta batches to prove it.

The yoghurt it entirely non-traditional, but as I mentioned, it solves the separation issue and personally, I love the tanginess it adds.

Serve in the cups, or run the cup carefully under warm water and unmold onto a plate. Simply add some fresh berries, whatever is in season, or cook together some frozen fruit with sugar for a quick compote.

Yogurt Panna Cotta
Adapted from The Kitchen Diaries

250ml whipping cream
150ml milk
1/2 vanilla pod (you can use more, but I like to be conservative with vanilla pod$)
1 1/2 tsp powdered gelatine
4 tbsp sugar
150ml thick, creamy yogurt

Put the cream, sugar and 130 ml of the milk into a small saucepan. Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds with a knife. Add both the seeds and the empty bean to the milk. Set the saucepan over a moderate heat and simmer gently for 5-6 minutes, stirring to ensure that the sugar gets dissolved. The mixture will reduce a little bit.

Take the pan off the heat to cool down. You can speed this up by putting the pan into a sink filled with cold water or by transferring the cream into a clean bowl. While the mix is cooling, pour the remaining 20ml of milk into a cup or small bowl. Sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the surface evenly and leave it for 5 minutes. Then mix the gelatin into the still hot cream mix.

To properly dissolve the gelatin you do first need to 'bloom' it - the soaking step, and then mix it with a hot, but not scalding liquid.

Now here I simply stepped away and waited for the milk to cool down. You want the mix to still be warm so that the gelatin hasn't started setting yet, but not hot enough to curdle the yoghurt. Step away from the bowl for about 10-15 minutes and test it with your finger after that time. It's ok, I know you washed your hands.

Remove the vanilla pod and stir in the yoghurt into the cooled mix now. You will see the liquid thickening. This is great, because it ensures that the mix isn't thin enough to separate as it cools. You can pass the mixture through a fine sieve, but I usually don't bother. Divide the panna cotta into 6 tea cups. Cover each cup in cling film and refrigerate until set, 3-4 hours at the minimum.