Espresso Panna Cotta — coffee-infused set cream

i. Origin & history

Panna cotta means 'cooked cream', and the dessert is from Piedmont in north-west Italy, a region known for its dairy, its hazelnuts and its rich cooking. In its traditional form it is cream and sugar, flavoured with vanilla and sometimes a splash of rum or Marsala, set with gelatine and served with caramel or fruit. A local legend credits a Hungarian woman living in the Langhe hills in the early twentieth century, but, as with most such stories, there is little evidence; set creams of this kind have a long history in European cooking.

What is clear is that panna cotta appeared in Italian cookbooks in the twentieth century and became an international restaurant dessert from the 1990s onward, when its simplicity, make-ahead convenience and easy flavour variations made it a menu staple in Italy, France, Britain and the United States. It is now as common in French bistros as in trattorias, often listed simply as panna cotta.

Coffee is a natural flavour for it. Italy's coffee culture runs through its desserts, from tartufo and affogato to tiramisu and granita di caffè. In espresso panna cotta, coffee replaces the vanilla, and the result sits somewhere between a dessert and the after-dinner espresso it usually accompanies.

Panna cotta is related to many other set milk and cream puddings: the French blanc-manger, originally set with almond milk; the Levantine malabi, thickened with starch and scented with rose; and the British possets and creams, such as lemon posset, set with acid rather than gelatine.

ii. Two layers of coffee and the perfect wobble

Flavouring panna cotta with coffee has a catch: espresso adds water, and too much of it weakens the set and thins the creamy taste. The best approach uses coffee twice. Whole roasted coffee beans are steeped in the warm cream and milk, which infuses the aromatic oils that dissolve readily in fat, giving a round, mellow coffee flavour without bitterness. A small amount of strong espresso is then added for depth, colour and a sharper coffee edge.

Whole beans, lightly cracked, are better than ground coffee for infusing: they release flavour gradually and are easily strained out, while ground coffee clouds the cream and can turn it bitter and gritty. Steeping for 30–60 minutes off the heat is enough.

Panna cotta is defined by its texture: it should be just firm enough to hold its shape when turned out, but tremble when the plate moves and melt instantly in the mouth. That depends on using the minimum gelatine. As a guide, about 1 g of leaf gelatine per 100 ml of liquid gives a set firm enough to turn out; less gives a softer cream best served in glasses. Too much gives a rubbery, bouncy pudding that is the most common fault.

Gelatine must be dissolved in warm — not boiling — liquid. Boiling weakens its setting power, and cream that boils can turn slightly grainy. Cooling the mixture over ice until it begins to thicken before pouring keeps the espresso and cream evenly mixed instead of separating into layers.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 6 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 500 ml double cream
• 200 ml whole milk
• 30 g whole roasted coffee beans, lightly crushed
• 80 g caster sugar
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 8 g leaf gelatine (4 sheets, gold strength)
• 60 ml strong espresso, cooled
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 100 g caster sugar, for the caramel (optional)
• 60 ml hot water or espresso, for the caramel (optional)

Use double cream mixed with whole milk: all cream is very rich, while more milk gives a lighter, more delicate dessert. Choose medium-roast coffee beans with chocolate or nutty notes; very dark beans can taste burnt. Leaf gelatine gives the cleanest set; strengths vary by brand, so check the packet — 8 g of gold-strength leaf can be replaced with about 7 g powdered gelatine. For a softer set in glasses, use 6 g. The optional coffee caramel is a classic Piedmontese-style finish, but a drizzle of espresso syrup, cocoa or shaved dark chocolate works too.

iv. Method

1. Heat the cream, milk, crushed coffee beans, sugar and salt in a saucepan, stirring, until steaming and the sugar has dissolved; do not boil. Cover and leave off the heat for 45 minutes to infuse.
2. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes, until soft.
3. Reheat the infused cream until hot but not boiling, then strain out the beans, pressing them. Squeeze the gelatine and stir it into the hot cream until completely dissolved.
4. Stir in the espresso and vanilla. Taste and adjust with a little more espresso if you like.
5. Set the pan in a bowl of iced water and stir gently for 5–10 minutes, until the mixture is cool and just beginning to thicken.
6. Pour into 6 lightly oiled 125 ml moulds or into glasses. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until set with a gentle wobble.
7. For the optional caramel, heat the 100 g sugar in a dry pan until it melts to a deep amber, then carefully add the hot water or espresso (it will spit) and stir until smooth. Cool.
8. To serve, dip each mould in hot water for 5 seconds, run a thin knife around the edge and turn out onto a plate. Spoon over the caramel.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Infuse with beans, finish with espresso. Beans give smooth, rounded flavour; a little espresso adds punch without diluting the set.
• Do not boil after adding gelatine. High heat weakens its setting power.
• Use the least gelatine you can. A good panna cotta trembles; a rubbery one has too much.
• Cool over ice before pouring. This stops the cream rising and separating from the coffee into layers.
• Oil the moulds lightly. A thin film of neutral oil helps the panna cotta slide out cleanly.
• Do not leave moulds in hot water too long. More than a few seconds melts the outside and blurs the shape.

vi. Variations

For a mocha panna cotta, melt 60 g dark chocolate into the hot cream. Add a strip of orange zest or a few crushed cardamom pods to the infusion, or a spoon of coffee liqueur or Marsala with the espresso. A layered dessert of vanilla and coffee panna cotta, each set in turn, looks striking in glasses. A dairy-free version can be made with coconut milk and agar, which sets more firmly.

For other coffee desserts, see the coffee soufflé, the iced coffee cake and the Italian tartufo. Set and baked creams from around the world include the Turkish kazandibi, the Levantine malabi and the Italian zabaione.

vii. Serving & storage

Serve espresso panna cotta well chilled, turned out with coffee caramel, or in glasses topped with a little whipped cream and cocoa. Crisp biscuits such as biscotti or amaretti add a welcome crunch. It makes an ideal dinner-party dessert because it must be made ahead.

It keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge, covered so it does not absorb other smells. Turn out only just before serving. Panna cotta does not freeze well; gelatine-set creams weep and turn grainy when thawed.

ix. More from Italian

• Coffee Soufflé — airy baked coffee soufflé
• White Chocolate Mousse — light white chocolate cream
• Tartufo — Italian ice-cream truffle
• Zabaione — Italian whipped wine custard
• Malabi — Levantine milk pudding
• Lemon Posset — British set lemon cream