4th of July Dessert idea: Panna cotta and stewed berries en verrines

I am sure you're busy preparing for the long weekend, so I promise to be short. In fact, I am right in the middle of our house move, so I am also short of time (we just ate our first homemade meal in our new house--and let me add that I am *really* looking forward to a new kitchen in it!) This dessert recipe is a quick one you might like to keep handy. For the 4ht of July? Peut-être ? If you have guests? It's bound to please a crowd. And is simple to prepare. Fresh. Beautiful. Summery and light. I hope you like it. There's nothing else to add....so enjoy the well deserved holiday. That's what summer is for. Lovely days, great company, and seductive foods. On our end, we will have a picnic in our new yard, Lulu's new play area. And mine.
Panna cotta and stewed berries en verrines
For 8 people
For the stewed berries: You need:
  • 1 pound 3.5 oz (550 g) mixed berries (raspberries, black currants and blueberries)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/3 cup blond cane sugar
Steps:
  • Combine all ingredients in a pot and let stew for 4 to 5 minutes, until the fruit softens. Let cool. Note that you might have leftovers, perfectly delicious eaten to top yogurt.
For the panna cotta: You need:
  • 4 cups half and half
  • 1/2 cup blond cane sugar
  • 2 vanilla beans, split open and seeds scraped out
  • 6 cardamom pods, crushed
  • 6 gelatin sheets
Steps:
  • In a pot, combine the half and half, vanilla seeds and bean, cardamom pods and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 4 minutes. Stop the heat, cover and let infuse for 10 minutes. Strain.
  • In the meantime, soak the gelatin sheets in a large volume of cold water. Using the tips of your fingers, squeeze out the excess water and add to the infused half and half; stir to dissolve.
  • Fill small glasses with the panna cotta preparation and let cool. Cover each glass with plastic wrap and place the glasses in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight, until the panna cotta sets. Once ready to serve, add the stewed berries (to taste) on top.
Le coin français
Verrines de panna cotta et fruits rouges en compote
Pour 8 personnes
Pour les fruits rouges : Ingrédients :
  • 550 g de fruits rouges mélangés
  • 4 càs d'eau
  • 80 g de sucre de canne blond
Etapes :
  • Mettez tous les ingrédients dans une casserole et faites compoter pendant 4 à 5 minutes. Laissez refroidir. Vous aurez des restes, délicieux avec du yaourt.
Pour la panna cotta: Ingrédients :
  • 950 ml de crème à 11,5 % de M.G (ou un mélange de lait entier et de crème liquide, moitié, moitié)
  • 100 g de sucre de canne blond
  • 2 gousses de vanille fendues et grattées
  • 6 capsules de cardamome verte, écrasées
  • 6 feuilles de gélatine
Etapes :
  • Dans une casserole, mélangez la crème, le lait, les gousses et graines de vanille, les capsules de cardamome et le sucre. Faites chauffer jusqu'à frémissement. Arrêtez le feu, couvrez et laissez infuser pendant 10 minutes. Filtrez.
  • Pendant ce temps, faites ramollir les feuilles de gélatine dans un grand volume d'eau. Essorez-les et mettez-les dans le mélange de lait/crème pour qu'elles se dissovent.
  • Remplissez de petits verres et laissez refroidir. Filmez et mettez au frigidaire pendant quelques heures (ou toute une nuit) jusqu'à ce que la panna cotta prenne. Une fois que vous êtes prêts à servir, ajoutez la compote de fruits sur la panna cotta et servez de suite.

50 Comments

  • Tifenn ·

    Comme d'hab! beau, beau beau...et bon :)
  • Mabulle ·

    Mmmmmmh... Ça fait envie! J'adore les couleurs de tes photos. Je ne comprends pas tout en anglais, on peut espérer une traduction? Merci d'avance.
  • Reginald ·

    Wow! This looks beyond amazing. No wait....it looks beyond amazing. Job well done (as always). Cheers!
  • Christine @ Fresh Local and Best ·

    I adore panna cotta. I've never tried a panna cotta recipe with cardamon, but it sounds quite intriguing and delicious.
  • Chrissy ·

    Would love to make these in a class however I would like to use gelatin powder instead of sheets...could you guesstimate the conversion as I have never used gelatin sheets before! Thanks
  • Lorena Rossi ·

    Super recette Béatrice. Je crois que je ne vais pas hésiter à la faire à mes enfants. Ils adorent les fruits rouges. Et tes photos ... Rien à dire magnifiques. Bonnes vacances !
  • Sarah W ·

    What a great summery treat, and as always fabulous photos.
  • kat ·

    beautiful colors!
  • Béa ·

    Hi Lee, Sorry to hear about the kitchen misadventure. Basically, if you are using gelatin powder, a rough equivalence is as follows (depends on the strength of the gelatin): 1 gelatin sheet = 1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin I use 2g gelatin sheets and they are golden strength. You can order them online, at places like http://www.lepicerie.com/catalog/index.html, or on amazon. See this link here.
  • redmenace ·

    It looks utterly amazing! I love summer berries in beautiful desserts!
  • Kerstin ·

    Thanks a lot for this recipe. I tryed it yesterday and it worked out very well. The taste reminded me of Chai. Just was not sure about the amount of gelantine necessary. Are gelantine sheets always the same size?
  • lydia bergot ·

    et le coin francais
  • deeba ·

    Simply gorgeous. My fave dessert of all time, and you make it look SO GOOD!
  • honeyfizz ·

    This looks absolutely divine! Love your use of colors and what a great treat for a relaxing summer day.
  • Tokyo Terrace ·

    I love panna cotta- it is such a beautiful dessert and can be made to fit any theme using colorful berries. Beautiful as always!
  • Rose D., Frenchtown, NJ ·

    What a wonderful, refreshing summer recipe...And I'm in love with the blue and white bowl that you photographed with the berries. :)
  • Sini ·

    What a wonderful dessert for warm summer days! Can't wait to try it out. Maybe already this weekend?
  • Heather Squires ·

    Please excuse my ignorance--but what is 'half & half'? It looks ideal for this time of year & I'm longing to try it out!
  • karina ·

    sorry but what's ' 4 cups half and half'?....I must be missing something....
  • Diana Bachelor ·

    Your recipe was a success yesterday at a luncheon gathering in our garden. Although I couldn't find sheets of gelatin, I used the powdered gelatin and I have never tasted anything so silky. I used pureed raspberries that I put through a strainer to cover the panna and then put a spoonfull(heaping) of whipped cream, garnished with 3 raspberries on top. Incredibly easy and delicious. I love reading the recipes in French! Also your relationship with Lulu makes me feel very good. Diana (ダイアナ)
  • Gen ·

    Oh les beaux fruits rouges! Une petite verrine, qui se mange toute seule!
  • kissara ·

    yummy.....
  • Mirtilla ·

    What a wonderful blog is this?! congratulatios! And this recipe sound sooo delicoius!!! Happy 4th of July... and happy weekend!!!
  • Katherine ·

    Thanks, this was delicious!
  • fragolina ·

    great pictures, beautiful colors as always..
  • valérie-jeanne ·

    My favorite blue! Love it. I've never made panna cotta before, have to add it to my to-do list. Happy 4th.
  • Anita ·

    Looks fresh and tasty, Happy Holiday weekend! and Congrats on the new house :)
  • Andréia Lédio ·

    Hello Bea, I knew your blog today and I loved! I'm fascinated with your talent for cooking and photography ..:) Could you indicate good books about photos for me? I love photography!
  • {kms} ·

    so prrrrfect for this weekend! xo.
  • YOYO love cooking ·

    cool~~ i like it~
  • Béa ·

    Merci beaucoup à tous ! Chrissy, generally speaking, 1 envelop of gelatin is 7 g, ie 4 sheets. Hope this helps. Or 6 sheets is 3 teaspoons.
  • Lick My Spoon ·

    These photos make me mouth water. As if I can sneak my finger into the pot for a taste, even if it's just a little taste to tease my palate!!! A wonderful post and treat!
  • Béa ·

    Heather, from Wikipedia: In the United States, half and half almost always refers to a very light cream typically used in coffee. The name refers to the liquid's content of half milk and half cream. Its butterfat content is about 12.5%,[2] which makes it low-calorie and more stable in coffee. It is widely available in the United States, both in individual-serving containers and in bulk (usually not requiring refrigeration). It is also used to make ice cream. The same product is known as half cream in the United Kingdom. La recette en français arrive.....
  • A Plum By Any Other Name ·

    GORGEOUS pictures. Delicious sounding recipe! Love how you left some of the berries whole on top.
  • RichP ·

    Your photography is stunning, I have also tried a couple of your recipes and they were lovely! I was looking through youtube earlier and found this recipe that I will be trying tonight. Your recipe reminded me of the recipe I found on youtube which features Ainsley's Harriott and his recipe using Onken natural set yogurt! Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/user/DROETKERONKEN#p/u/0/XGDbZoeo5kc
  • Mabulle ·

    Merci pour la version française!
  • Nicole ·

    Hi, what is "half and half" ???? I don't understand and I couldn't find it anywhere, can someone help me? thanks
  • Nicole ·

    sorry, it's been answered already but I missed it. lololo
  • célinette ·

    Miam miam...que ça a l'air bon...et frais, parfait par cette chaleur! Merci Béa!
  • Vanessa (LadyGrey) ·

    Yum! I love panna cotta, and this recipe sounds fabulous!
  • Tes ·

    Those look so beautiful. They looks so fresh and yummy!
  • A Canadian Foodie ·

    Bea - It is so nice to see you posting regularly again. Summer sweets and treats that are doable... and lovely. Did you ever get my message about the recipe I made of yours for my mother's 80th birthday in April... the white individual cakes with the swiss butter cream with a honey mascarpone filling - and raspberries. When I use a recipe from someone else... I feel somehow intimately connected to them - if it is such a complex recipe for such an important occasion. And this one looks spectacular - for a light meal. :) valerie
  • Béa ·

    La recette en français est là.... Merci à tous!
  • Tereza GOMES ·

    Europe in August is fabulous! I wish I could attend your workshops in Sept.. but I live on the other side of the Equator line... LOL... But one day.. maybe I will be able to meet you in person. Tks for sharing your wonderful experiences. Great art work.
  • chaussures air max ·

    Je viens juste de tomber sur votre travail. Je suis sans voix. Quel talent vous. Vous êtes source d'inspiration.
  • Lee ·

    Hello, I really wanted to make this but couldn't find gelatin sheets so I used gelatin powders instead, which is the only thing I could find in my neighborhood store. Oh boy, what a deep failure. I am new to cooking and would really appreciate it if you could please help me with where to find gelatin sheets. Or how to make substitution with powder form. I would really love to try this again. I live in Cambridge, MA. I tried whole foods but was not successful.... Thank you for help!
  • Lee ·

    Hi Bea, Thank you for your speedy response!! I will order some gelatin sheets from your online source but in the meanwhile since I have some powder left, I will attempt to make this dessert again. Will let you know how it goes. I'm dying to try this... PS: it's my first time posting though I read your blog religiously. You're so talented and inspiring. Thanks!
  • bunkycooks ·

    This is lovely with the stewed berries! What a pretty dessert. I am making a specific panna cotta recipe tomorrow, but will try this one next time>
  • Julie ·

    From a conversion chart I just saw: four sheets gelatin equals one packet of gelatin (Knox brand gelatin, usually sold in packets). Panna Cotta looks delicious--it's lovely with the berries on top. Thanks
  • new era magasin ·

    les couleurs sont variées, et nous permettent de choisir notre style confidentielles.