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<\/a>Also known as panna cotta,<\/em> this\u00a0dessert originates from the Piedmont region of Northern Italy where the land is fertile and milk production is abundant.\u00a0 My first experience with panna cotta was in\u00a0a little\u00a0village restaurant\u00a0on top of a hill in Montecatini Alto (Tuscany).\u00a0 I still remember our meal there\u00a0from 2 years ago.\u00a0\u00a0We started with\u00a0a bottle of\u00a0local wine and\u00a0a seafood antipasto, then braised wild boar ravioli, penne with calamari in zimino (stewed squid), thinly sliced\u00a0veal,\u00a0and the panna cotta (with a light chocolate sauce) for dessert.\u00a0 It\u00a0was set ever so softly (just enough so that it could hold its shape)\u00a0and had\u00a0the perfect balance of lightness and creaminess in texture.\u00a0 We lingered at our table in the open air.\u00a0 The\u00a0night was warm, the breeze gentle and cool, and the stars\u00a0twinkled above.<\/p>\n Milk Pudding, 2 Ways\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The top left picture shows a handful of black raspberries (picked from our friends’ Kevin & Rachael’s land).\u00a0 Picking\u00a0was a\u00a0torture since the fruits\u00a0were small and the vines thorny.\u00a0\u00a0The mosquitoes also had a nice time with\u00a0us.\u00a0 I counted 9 bites on my body\u00a0when we got home.\u00a0\u00a0I think maybe it was worth it because I made several jars of amazing syrup from an almost colander full of berries.\u00a0 The first drizzle was used in my vanilla bean panna cotta dessert (top right picture).\u00a0 As you can see, I\u00a0got\u00a0almost halfway into it\u00a0before I\u00a0 remembered to take\u00a0a picture.\u00a0 It was that good!<\/p>\n RECIPE<\/strong><\/p>\n Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta (with black raspberry sauce)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Ingredients<\/em><\/p>\n Put the milk and sugar into a pan.\u00a0 Scrape in the vanilla beans and add the pod into the mix.\u00a0 Warm until it starts to simmer and the sugar is dissolved.\u00a0 Turn off the heat and take out the vanilla bean pod.\u00a0 In a small bowl, Dissolve the gelatin powder\u00a0in the water\u00a0then add it\u00a0to the milk mixture.\u00a0 Pour the milk into small containers (like ramekins or tea cups) if you want it to set quicker.\u00a0 You can also\u00a0present it using\u00a0an ornate dessert mold.\u00a0Cover with a plastic wrap then refrigerate for at least 3 hours (overnight for the large mold).<\/p>\n You can serve it in the container or take it out.\u00a0 To do this let the ramekins stand\u00a0in warm water for about two minutes then invert onto a plate.\u00a0\u00a0Enjoy as it or top with\u00a0some fruit and\/or syrup of your choice.<\/p>\n Another way to enjoy panna cotta is with young sweet corn.\u00a0 We stopped to get them\u00a0at the sweetest small market\u00a0called Preston Valley Produce just outside of Montfort last weekend.<\/p>\n RECIPE<\/strong><\/p>\n Sweet Corn Panna Cotta<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/driftlessappetite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/pannacotta2ways.jpeg\" "\\"pannacotta2ways\\"")
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