TABELIA

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN RECIPE

Authentic Panna Cotta

Authentic Panna Cotta
Difficulty★★☆☆☆ Prep2 min Cook5 min Rest4 hr servings4

Sweetened cream set with gelatin until it barely holds its shape — a Northern Italian dessert built on just a few ingredients.

Recipe developed and reviewed by the Tabelia Editorial TeamUpdated
100/ 100

AUTHENTICITY SCORE

Authenticity Score

This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • Heavy cream500 ml
  • Sugar60 g
  • Gelatin sheets8 g
  • Vanilla bean1

Method

15 min

Warm the cream

Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla bean (split and scraped) in a pot and warm over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, without letting it boil.

22 min

Add the gelatin

Remove from the heat, add the softened gelatin and stir until completely dissolved.

34 hr

Chill until set

Pour into moulds or glasses, let cool slightly, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours until set — it should wobble gently when shaken but hold its shape.

About this dish

Panna cotta carries a simple name that means “cooked cream,” and it comes from Piedmont. Cream, sugar, gelatin — built from this handful of ingredients, the balance between them shapes the result directly.

Piedmont is a northern Italian region with a strong dairy tradition, known for producing high-quality dairy products. It’s also home to renowned wines like Barolo and Barbaresco, a region where quality in both food and drink is taken seriously. Panna cotta being born here can’t be explained without the abundant, excellent cream available as a raw material.

The mark of doneness is the jiggle. A gentle wobble on the plate — set it too firm and gelatin’s texture pushes through too hard; too loose and it collapses. That exact state is what cooks call cottura perfetta, perfect doneness.

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