Chef Ally
Apricot Flaugnarde
A golden custard that puffs and billows around halved summer apricots, then settles into something tender and barely sweet, the kind of dessert that reminds you fruit is the point.
Culinary Explorer
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Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Strawberry Consommé
Created by
A quivering, tangy panna cotta made with real buttermilk, crowned with a crystal-clear consommé that captures the essence of peak-season strawberries in every ruby spoonful.
Desserts
California
Dinner Party
Make Ahead
Mothers Day
30 min
Active Time
10 min cook•6 hr 40 min total
Yield6 servings
Start with the strawberries. They should smell like strawberries before you even bring them to your nose. That perfume, the one that fills the car on the drive home from the market, tells you everything. If you have to search for the scent, the fruit is not ready. Wait for the ones that stain your fingers when you hull them.
Panna cotta means cooked cream, but the technique is gentler than that sounds. You warm the cream just enough to dissolve sugar and gelatin, then temper it into cold buttermilk. The buttermilk brings a cultured tang that cuts the richness and makes this dessert feel alive rather than heavy. It is the difference between something you want one bite of and something you finish without thinking.
The consommé requires nothing but time. Sugar draws the juice from macerated berries the way the sun draws moisture from the earth. You strain without pressing, and what drips through is clear as garnet, concentrated as memory. Two tablespoons hold more strawberry flavor than a bowlful of the fresh fruit.
This is a dessert for the patient cook. The panna cotta needs hours to set. The consommé needs hours to form. But your hands are busy for perhaps fifteen minutes total. The rest is waiting, which is its own kind of cooking.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
full-fat buttermilk
Quantity
1 1/2 cups
well shaken
heavy cream
Quantity
1 cup
granulated sugar
Quantity
1/2 cup
unflavored gelatin powder
Quantity
1 1/2 teaspoons (about half a packet)
cold water
Quantity
3 tablespoons
pure vanilla extract
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
fine sea salt
Quantity
pinch
ripe strawberries (for consommé)
Quantity
1 pound
hulled and quartered
granulated sugar (for consommé)
Quantity
1/3 cup
fresh lemon juice
Quantity
1 teaspoon
small fresh strawberries
Quantity
6-12
for garnish
fresh mint leaves (optional)
Quantity
a few
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| full-fat buttermilkwell shaken | 1 1/2 cups |
| heavy cream | 1 cup |
| granulated sugar | 1/2 cup |
| unflavored gelatin powder | 1 1/2 teaspoons (about half a packet) |
| cold water | 3 tablespoons |
| pure vanilla extract | 1/2 teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | pinch |
| ripe strawberries (for consommé)hulled and quartered | 1 pound |
| granulated sugar (for consommé) | 1/3 cup |
| fresh lemon juice | 1 teaspoon |
| small fresh strawberriesfor garnish | 6-12 |
| fresh mint leaves (optional) | a few |
Equipment Needed
- •Six 4-ounce ramekins or small glasses
- •Fine-mesh strainer
- •Cheesecloth
- •Small saucepan
Instructions
- 1
Bloom the gelatin
Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a small bowl. Let it sit for five minutes until it swells and turns opaque. This step cannot be rushed. The gelatin absorbs water and softens, which allows it to dissolve smoothly into the warm cream. Skip this, and you will have lumps.
Use cold water, never hot. Hot water activates gelatin before it has absorbed enough moisture, creating grainy texture. - 2
Warm the cream mixture
Combine the heavy cream and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently until the sugar dissolves and the cream just begins to steam around the edges. Do not let it boil. Remove from heat immediately. You want warmth, not violence.
- 3
Dissolve the gelatin
Add the bloomed gelatin to the warm cream and stir until completely dissolved, about one minute. The mixture should be smooth with no visible granules. Add the vanilla and salt. Stir once more.
- 4
Temper the buttermilk
Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl. Slowly stream in the warm cream mixture while whisking constantly. The slow addition prevents the buttermilk from curdling. You should have a smooth, pourable custard with a gentle tang. Taste it. The buttermilk's sourness should sing through the sweetness.
If your buttermilk has been sitting, shake it well. The cultures settle and the tang concentrates at the bottom. - 5
Pour and chill
Divide the mixture evenly among six ramekins or small glasses, about four ounces each. Cover each with plastic wrap, pressing it gently against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least six hours, or overnight. The panna cotta is ready when it trembles like a just-set custard but holds its shape when you tilt the vessel.
- 6
Macerate the strawberries
While the panna cotta sets, make the consommé. Toss the quartered strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice in a glass bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours, or overnight. The sugar draws out the juices slowly. You will return to find the berries swimming in ruby liquid. This is what you want.
- 7
Strain the consommé
Line a fine-mesh strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth and set it over a clean bowl. Pour in the macerated strawberries and their liquid. Let the juice drip through naturally for thirty minutes. Do not press or squeeze the fruit. Pressing clouds the consommé and dulls its clarity. Patience produces the jewel-like liquid you are after.
Save the strained strawberries. They are soft and sweet, perfect for spooning over yogurt or folding into oatmeal. - 8
Serve
Spoon two to three tablespoons of the strawberry consommé over each set panna cotta. The clear red liquid pools on the white surface. Garnish with a small fresh strawberry or two, halved to show their interior. Add a mint leaf if you like, though the dish needs nothing more. Serve cold.
Chef Tips
- •Seek out buttermilk from a local dairy if you can find it. The commercial versions work, but cultured buttermilk from a small producer has a depth of flavor that transforms this dish.
- •The gelatin ratio here produces a soft, barely-set panna cotta that quivers when you touch it. If you prefer a firmer texture, add another half teaspoon of gelatin.
- •This dessert celebrates spring strawberries. In winter, try blood orange segments with their own juice, or poached quince with honey syrup. The panna cotta welcomes whatever the season offers.
- •Make these two days ahead for a dinner party. The flavors deepen as they sit, and your evening stays calm.
Advance Preparation
- •Panna cottas can be made up to three days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Add the consommé just before serving.
- •The strawberry consommé holds for up to five days refrigerated. The color stays bright, the flavor only concentrates.
- •For unmolded presentation, lightly oil the ramekins before pouring in the mixture. Run a thin knife around the edge and invert onto plates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 180g)
Calories
300 calories
Total Fat
15 g
Saturated Fat
9 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
6 g
Cholesterol
45 mg
Sodium
200 mg
Total Carbohydrates
38 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
36 g
Protein
4 g
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