Buttermilk Panna Cotta

One of the most delightful desserts is panna cotta, or cooked cream. Heavy cream is cooked with sugar and vanilla, gelatin is added, and it sets in the refrigerator. For those of us who care about saturated fat, there is good news! Substituting most of the cream with buttermilk significantly reduces the fat without compromising any creaminess.

2 cups buttermilk

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 packed powdered gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

Warm the buttermilk and sugar over medium heat, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool and add the vanilla. Meanwhile sprinkle gelatin powder over cold water and allow to bloom for 10 minutes. Then gently warm the cream over low heat for a few minutes (it should feel warm to your finger, but not hot). Dissolve the bloomed gelatin in the warm cream. Combine buttermilk mixture with cream mixture and stir to blend. Pour into serving vessels and refrigerate at least three hours to set. Keep in mind that gelatin has to "bloom" in order to be active, dissolves best in warm liquids, but can lose it's power to gelatinize if over-heated.

The image is of buttermilk panna cotta, cucumber-lime gelee and rose sorbet in a shot glass.