Chocolate Panna Cotta With Cherries

By tjberens

WARNING!! Don't serve this dessert at a Weight Watchers party!! Guaranteed to get oohs and aahs from your guests.

Ingredients

• •PANNA COTTA:
• •1/2 cup water
• •5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• •12 1/2 ounces high-quality chocolate
• •2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• •2 1/2 cups whole milk
• •1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• •1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• •1 1/4 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
• •WHITE CHOCOLATE SAUCE:
• •7 oz white chocolate, chopped
• •1 cup heavy cream
• •1/2 cup cherries, chopped
• •6-8 cherries for decoration

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

For panna cotta:
Mix gelatin with 1/2 cup water in small bowl; let soften 10 minutes.
Combine cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract in large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla beans; add beans.
Bring to boil stirring until sugar dissolves; remove from heat.
Add gelatin mixture and whisk to dissolve.
Pour cream/gelatin mixture over chocolates in bowl and whisk until completely melted. Place bowl in an ice water bath(Some folks use a larger bowl for this-I just use the sink).
Stir often until mixture thickens like pudding. Remove from ice water.
Pour in a silicon cake ring. Chill overnight.
Place the mold for 20 seconds in hot water and then flip into your serving platter.

White chocolate sauce:
Heat the cream over medium heat until simmering point, pour over chopped chocolate and stir until melted…Cool completely.
Drizzle the cooled white chocolate sauce inside the center and around the edges of Panna Cotta.
Sprinkle chopped cherries and decorate with whole cherries around the sides.

Note: this dessert presents well when paired with a Port wine.