With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, a home-cooked meal from the heart can be extremely special. Why not finish it off with a beautiful and romantic dessert? Served in elegant champagne glasses, this is sure to sweep your date off their feet.
- Portion size 4 servings
- Credits : @luxebaker
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta:
Raspberry Panna Cotta:
Raspberry Compote:
Method
Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Heat until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a simmer over low/medium heat. Place the gelatin powder in a small bowl, add 3 tablespoons of cold water and mix, then set it aside to turn into a thick paste.
Once simmering, remove the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla mixture from heat. Add in the finely chopped chocolate, stirring slowly to melt. Add the thickened gelatin, stirring until fully dissolved. Blend further using an immersion blender (not necessary but preferred if you have one on hand) to melt in the remaining chocolate bits. Set aside to cool, almost to room temperature.
Once cooled or close to room temperature, strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Divide and pour into wine or champagne glasses. If you’d like to set the layers on a diagonal, place the glasses safely and sturdily positioned on an angle in your refrigerator as the chocolate panna cotta layer sets.
Refrigerate for 3 hours. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to add the raspberry panna cotta layer.
Raspberry Panna Cotta: Blend the raspberries until smooth and runny. Strain into a medium saucepan, discarding the seeds. Add the milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer over low/medium heat, stirring often.
Place gelatin in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of cold water and mix to combine into a thick paste, then set aside. Once raspberry panna cotta is simmering, remove from heat and let stand a few minutes. If desired for more colour intensity, add in 2 drops or more of gel fuchsia/pink food colour. Stir in the gelatin until dissolved, then strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature. Do not allow it to stand too long once it’s cooled, otherwise it will begin to set. If desired, strain again once cooled to ensure any bits that have begun setting are removed.
Meanwhile, once the chocolate layer has fully set in your refrigerator, use a damp paper towel to carefully clean off any drips or smudges. Place serving glasses upright and gently pour cooled raspberry panna cotta on top. Refrigerate for 3 hours for raspberry layer to set.
Raspberry compote: Combine the raspberries, lemon juice and granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Cook on medium/low heat for 10-15 minutes, gently mashing and stirring with a silicone spatula until the mixture has thickened. Set aside to cool completely.
Once raspberry panna cotta layer is fully set, pour and level the fully cooled raspberry compote on top. Refrigerate to chill. Top the dessert with fresh currants, raspberries, chocolate bits, fresh mint.
Tip: If the balancing act of champagne glasses feels too precarious, feel free to set all the layers individually with the glasses standing safely upright. Simply leave room for the additional layers to come, and the dessert will be equally impressive and lovely.
MEET THE CHEF
Photo courtesy of Alina Fintineanu
Alina Fintineanu worked for 12 years in dentistry before being a contestant on Season 5 of The Great Canadian Baking Show. She then dove head-first into her passion for baking through social media, live TV baking segments, and a Canada-wide baking column. Connect with her on Instagram @luxebaker
