Panna Cotta with blueberries

Almost as easy as going out to buy a dessert. Panna Cotta (which sounds a lot more appetizing in Italian than when translated to 'cooked cream') is really dead simple. You just need to boil some cream, add sugar, vanilla and gelatin. The hardest part is waiting for it to set. It's often accompanied by fruit or berries but can easily be enjoyed on its own. I had some frozen blueberries left over and thought I'd add them to the mix. I also used a siphon to make the mixture a little lighter and more like a mousse, but it's absolutely dispensable. Give it a try, you can thank me later...

Ingredients:
300 ml cream (I used whipping cream)
200 ml semi skimmed milk (you can vary the amounts according to your diet)
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 sheets of gelatin
1 handful of frozen blueberries (optional)

Start by leaving the gelatin in cold water to soak while preparing the rest. This allows it to 'bloom', i.e. absorb some water and become malleable. Mix the milk and cream, heat it to a light simmer (I use the microwave, but you can use a pot). Add the vanilla and sugar. Stir it in until dissolved. Remove the excess water from the gelatin, which by now should be soft, and add a bit of the hot cream. Stir till it dissolves and add it to the rest of the cream. Stir it in well. Set aside to cool down a bit.

To make a layer of blueberries, I put the frozen berries at the bottom of a bread form and pour just enough cream over to almost cover them. As they are frozen they will make the cream set faster. Put them in the freezer to speed the process up a bit further. If you just pour all the cream over they will float to the top and when turned out on a plate they will be at the bottom.

When the blueberry part has become all stiff after 5-10 minutes pour the rest of the cream on top. I used a siphon to make it a little more like a mousse, but I know that only the kitchen freaks have one of those, so don't worry. Let it set in the fridge for about 4 hours.

The final panna cotta with a blueberry layer on top. Great dessert when you've got a lot of other things to do...