Panna cotta alla pesca

A a cozy and comforting dessert bursting with the flavor of late summer peaches.

A trip to the Minneapolis farmers’ market in Stefano’s 1989 Alfa Romeo Spider is a summertime Sunday morning ritual. Top down, '80s Italian music streaming through the speakers, cash in our pockets, and our oversized tote ready to be filled with whatever produce catches our eye that week.

Therein lies the problem. Everything looks so good, we inevitably buy more than we have time to cook.

Recently, among our stash from the farmers’ market was a bag of the last of the summer peaches. I had vague ideas of enjoying them grilled, on a bruschetta with burrata and arugula, but they quickly became too ripe to grill. Then, I thought we might just slice them and enjoy pesche al vino bianco—peaches soaked in white wine—for dessert one evening. But the peaches have to be sliced and left to marinate in the wine for at least a few hours before they are ready, and with a busy work week, I couldn’t get the timing right.

The peaches sat in a bowl on our kitchen countertop, their reddish-pink blush deepening and their sweet aroma becoming more fragrant. Soon, their taut skin began to soften and wrinkle, and I knew my only option was to cook them down. I’d managed to preserve our peaches’ goodness a little longer, but now what to do with this jammy confection?

The answer came on Stefano’s birthday. We celebrated with dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants, Alma, and on the dessert menu was a panna cotta with peach compote, brown sugar pecan streusel, and whipped creme fraiche.

Anytime we see panna cotta on a dessert menu, we order it, prepared to either be delighted or underwhelmed. A sfida (challenge) of sorts.

When panna cotta is prepared correctly, it is sublime—creamy, smooth, delicately sweet, firm enough to hold its shape when unmolded, but tender enough to quiver when moved. When it’s not, often due to overuse of gelatin, it’s gummy, rubbery, and grainy. Alma’s panna cotta was excellent, and I knew what I could do with the peach compote in my refrigerator.

For my at-home version, I made a simple crumble instead of the streusel and skipped the whipped creme fraiche; I didn’t see the need to add whipped cream to cooked cream.

I used peaches, lemon juice, sugar, and a dash of vanilla for our peach compote. Fall spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and cardamom are used less frequently in Italy, but feel free to add them to give the dish a touch of autumn flavors. I thought about adding a dash of brandy, but the only brandy in the house was Stefano’s Vecchia Romagna Riserva, and I have strict orders not to bake with that.

To make the panna cotta, I experimented with powdered gelatin. In Italy, gelatin sheets are most common, and truth be told, I prefer them. However, knowing that they are harder to come by here in the U.S., I used gelatin powder in this recipe for our Stateside readers.

As summer fades into fall, this panna cotta is a cozy and comforting dessert bursting with the flavor of late summer peaches.

Ingredients

6 servings

For the panna cotta

• 500 grams heavy cream

• 100 grams sugar

• Seeds of 1 vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 5 grams / 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

• 50 ml / 3 tablespoons cold water

For the peach compote

• Four peaches, peeled and sliced

• 100 grams sugar

• Juice of half a lemon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the crumble

• 100 grams flour

• 50 grams sugar

• 50 grams butter

Equipment

• 6 silicone baking cups, brioche molds, or ramekins to serve as panna cotta molds.

Instructions

Prepare the Panna Cotta

1. Lightly coat the panna cotta molds with vegetable oil.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla.

3. Warm gently over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil.

4. Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let it bloom (soften) for a few minutes.

5. Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Stir in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved.

6. Pour the mixture into a pitcher with a spout, then divide evenly among the prepared molds.

7. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until fully set.

Make the peach compote

1. Peel and slice the peaches, then place them in a small saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice.

2. Cook over low heat until the mixture begins to boil.

3. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes, until the peaches soften and the liquid slightly thickens.

4. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool to room temperature.

Make the crumble

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.

2. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and butter.

3. Using your fingertips or a stand mixer, rub or mix the ingredients together until large crumbs form.

4. Spread evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

5. Bake for 10–15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool completely.

Assemble the panna cotta

1. Unmold the panna cotta onto dessert plates.

2. Spoon the peach compote over the top.

3. Finish with a sprinkle of crumble.

4. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Notes

A properly prepared panna cotta will jiggle on its plate but hold its shape. A panna cotta with too little gelatin will collapse when spooned into it, while too much gelatin will leave your panna cotta stiff and thick.

Turning the panna cotta out of its mold onto a small serving plate can be tricky, as sometimes it doesn’t cooperate. It helps to coat the panna cotta mold with a thin layer of flavorless oil, such as vegetable oil. If it still sticks, use a knife to gently separate the panna cotta from the mold. You can also try running the bottom and sides of the mold quickly under hot water, or applying a hot, damp cloth to the mold to loosen the panna cotta and help it come out.

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