Try and say “pistachio ricotta panna cotta” ten times fast. I’ll wait. # 128: Pistachio Ricotta Panna Cotta

Panna cotta just sounds elegant, doesn’t it? The name is Italian for “cooked cream,” so it’s fancy pudding. It doesn’t classically have ricotta in it, but I wanted to try a slightly less sweet version and Bon Appetit had the perfect recipe!

I’m finally getting comfortable with gelatin – it’s so magical when it works out! You can see a little slippage in the vanilla panna cotta because I was a leeeettle bit impatient and didn’t let it set long enough. Someday I’ll be a patient with my desserts. Maybe!

Panna cotta is the perfect blank canvas for a whole host of delicious flavors. I went back and forth trying to decide if I wanted bright and citrusy, or rich and full of warm spices like cinnamon. I tried to hit a middle ground with pistachio and a pop of frozen blueberries on top. I loooove frozen blueberries on everything, or just straight. Recent discovery: frozen peas are just as delish! They’re sweet and refreshing, which is slightly bizarre but mostly great.

Mise en place, s’il vous plait.

You have to let the gelatin sit for 10 minutes or so to soften. Looks like velvet, huh?

Sift it, sift it, sift it like a Polaroid picture.

Added half and half and blitzed til creamy smooth.

Oops looks like pesto. Sweet vanilla, ricotta, and pistachio pesto? Can’t knock it til you’ve tried it.

I blended whole pistachios with the cream in a food processor, then added just a touch of green food coloring. I wanted the tiniest bit more than the natural mossy green of minced pistachios.

Pouring it into the glasses was way harder than I expected! If you have a bowl with a pour spout, definitely use it. Way less clean up needed.

Now my timing wasn’t amazing, since I forgot that the pistachio layer had to set before the vanilla layer could be added on. I already had the gelatin melted in my half and half, so I stirred to keep it from setting for 20 minutes while the pistachio layers chilled in the freezer. This is my where-there’s-a-will-there’s-a-way face.

Voila! Garnished with a pile of blueberries and whole pistachios – it’s ready for it’s close-up.

Happy munching!

P.S. –

I had some extra ricotta, but no more half and half, so I made a tiny batch of panna cotta with almond milk. The ramekins are lined with orange olive oil (very bougie, very worth it) so they won’t stick when they’re turned out.

Highly recommend!! I ate it with sliced fruit for breakfast and with chocolate chips for dessert. There was a little less gelatin in this batch so the texture was silky smooth, and the light orange flavor from the oil was delightful.

Base of recipe from: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/ricotta-panna-cotta-with-nectarines-and-honey