Panna Cotta with Fruit Sauce

I can't remember where this recipe came from, maybe an old issue of Oprah. I have a habit of tearing out recipes that sound and not using them until many months (or years!) later. So unless I jot down the source I forget. I have a three-inch binder that holds a gathered collection of recipes from over the years. I am now trying to use them and slowly whittle this binder down. Some of them have been in there for years and have never even been attempted! This panna cotta recipe was one of those. It was super-easy and tasted divine! Despite all of the half-and-half it was not too rich. Although that could be a bad thing because it makes me want to eat more! So without further ado here it is:

Panna Cotta with Fruit Sauce

1 envelope unflavored gelatin (about 1 tbs.)

3 c half-and-half

1 c sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c frozen berries

*Sprinkle gelatin over 2 tbs. cold water in a small saucepan; let stand a minute to soften. Heat on low, stirring until gelatin dissolves, 1 minute. Remove from heat.

*In a large saucepan, bring half-and-half and 1/3 cup sugar just to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring. Remove from heat; stir in gelatin (it may need to be scraped off pan with a spatula) and vanilla. Ladle into 8 (1/2 cup) ramekins (*I used small glass bowls from Anchor Hocking that I use for feeding Luke. They work just the same.) Cover and chill at least four hours or overnight (I was in a pinch and did four hours. Trust me, the molds will hold up better if you do it overnight!)

*Make fruit sauce by cooking berries and 2/3 cup sugar over med.-low heat, stirring occasionally, until berries release their liquid and begin to break down, about 20 min. Blend with an immersion blender (or puree in a blender), strain, and chill for 1 hour.

*Serve panna cotta in ramekins or on plates. To loosen, dip each ramekin in a bowl of hot water for 3-4 seconds, run a knife around the edges, then invert onto a plate. Spoon fruit sauce on top and garnish with berries if you like.

Makes 8 servings

Photo courtesy of: http://recipebuddys.wordpress.com/

Enjoy!