SweetloreEncyclopedia of World Sweets (534）
Panna Cotta
Panna cotta
A dairy dish of warmed fresh cream, chilled until set
Desserts ／ Italy
Unwhipped cream gives way softly when a spoon goes in. Panna cotta, associated with Piedmont in Italy, is a dessert whose name means “cooked cream.” The widely known version is made by adding sugar and gelatin and chilling it until set. There is also a method that uses egg whites and bakes the dessert in a water bath; even when the finish is similarly white and smooth, the way it sets is different.
Adding Gelatin and Chilling Until Set
Sheet gelatin is softened in cold water, and cream with sugar added is warmed with vanilla seeds and the pod. The pod is removed, the gelatin is dissolved, and the lump-free liquid is poured into molds. The formula in Piedmont’s tourism material is 8 grams of sheet gelatin to 500 milliliters of cream, refrigerated for at least 5 hours. The outside of the mold is warmed briefly and the panna cotta is turned out onto a plate. The amount of gelatin is adjusted to give a firmness that holds its shape when unmolded yet melts softly in the mouth.
In a method handed down in this region that also uses milk, gelatin is dissolved in warmed milk, which is then added to cream warmed with sugar in a separate pan. It may be flavored with rum, Marsala or coffee and poured into a large rectangular mold lined with caramel. Besides individual molds, it is also made by setting it in a large mold and cutting it into portions.
Baking in a Water Bath with Unwhipped Egg Whites
In the method that sets with egg whites, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla are warmed and then cooled to room temperature before the egg whites are mixed in. The egg whites are broken up and mixed in evenly, without whipping. The molds are set in a baking tray containing hot water and baked slowly in the oven; the water moderates sudden rises in temperature and drying, and the liquid sets through the heat coagulation of the egg whites.
After baking, the panna cotta is cooled in the water of the bath and then refrigerated before being unmolded. Some versions take on light browning, and the surface also looks different from panna cotta set with gelatin and chilled.
Finishing with Sauces, and a Mixture with Chocolate
The bitterness of caramel, the acidity of berry coulis and the aroma of chocolate sauce are added to the sweetness of the cream. Caramel can be put into the mold first, or a sauce can be added after the panna cotta is turned out.
Putting chocolate into the panna cotta itself requires an emulsifying step. In a recipe (the proportions of ingredients and the method) using Valrhona’s P125 chocolate, the warm milk, cream and sugar, with the gelatin dissolved in them, are poured little by little onto the melted chocolate, mixed until smooth, and processed with a hand blender. Without incorporating air bubbles, the mixture is poured into glasses at about 30 degrees, covered with film pressed directly onto the surface, and refrigerated overnight. It is served in the glass with a cocoa and almond streusel. The blending is done not to whip it like a mousse, but to combine the dairy and cacao evenly.
A Cream Dessert Recorded in an 1827 Letter
In a letter sent from Bologna to his father on June 1, 1827, Giacomo Leopardi described latte e mele. He gave the ingredients as cream, unsalted gelatin and sugar, and remarked that the cook’s handiwork was important. Although its name differs from today’s panna cotta, it is an old record of a sweet made with dairy and sugar.
The Langhe Tradition and the Origin Stories Kept by Restaurants
Materials from the regional government relate a history connected with a woman of Hungarian origin in the Langhe in the early 20th century. She is said to have brought the method to this area, where cream was easy to obtain, and it then spread to the surrounding area. The maker’s name has not been passed down, but it is a tradition that describes how the cream dessert took root here. Today it is counted among the traditional foods of the entire region.
The recollections of the Bovio family of La Morra hold that a Hungarian traveler who came to the Belvedere inn inspired its cook around 1940. The restaurant’s method passed from the cook Settimo to his son Giorgio, then to Gian, and then to Gian’s son-in-law, Marco Boschiazzo. Marco, the successor, still keeps some of the steps as the restaurant’s secret.
On the other hand, there is also a theory that names Ettore Songia, the cook at “I Tre Citroni” in Cuneo, as its creator, so the origin has not been settled on a single account. Ada Boni’s 1968 book includes “Crema Belvedere,” made by refrigerating cream and sugar until set. In the 20th century, while methods were handed down in restaurants, dairy desserts of this kind also began to appear in cookbooks for home cooks.
Food-Service Panna Cotta That Spread in Japan in the 1990s
The December 22, 1993 issue of the Nihon Shokuryo Shimbun (Japan Food Journal) reported on a 65-gram frozen dessert from Morinaga Milk Industry. It was a product for restaurants, thawed in the refrigerator and turned upside down out of its container onto a plate. It had already been added to the menus of major family restaurant chains and was attracting attention as Italian cuisine became established. In this system, the step of pouring warmed ingredients into molds was completed at the factory, and the product was then delivered to restaurants.
A later chronology lists Suntory’s food-service powder in 1992 and Morinaga Milk Industry’s cup product in 1993. The Morinaga Milk Industry product reported at the time was an item for restaurants that was delivered frozen, then thawed and plated. Its use differs from that of retail desserts eaten straight from the container. Panna cotta spread not only through restaurant cooking but also through the distribution of food-service ingredients and frozen products.
Glossary
- Bovio family / Belvedere
- The family that carried on a restaurant in La Morra, and the name of the inn and dining room they formerly ran. The cooks Settimo, his son Giorgio, Gian, and the son-in-law Marco carried on the work.
- Marco Boschiazzo
- The successor cook of the Bovio family.
- Ettore Songia
- A cook in Cuneo. According to one theory, he was involved in the creation of modern panna cotta.
- Ada Boni
- A 20th-century Italian food writer.
- Sheet gelatin
- Gelatin processed into thin sheets. It is softened in cold water before being dissolved in a warm liquid.
- Gelatin
- An ingredient processed from animal collagen. A liquid in which it has been dissolved forms a gel when chilled.
- Water-bath baking
- A baking method in which molds are placed in a tray of hot water or similar and heated gently through the water.
- Heat coagulation
- The process by which proteins, such as those in eggs, bind together and set when heated.
- Coulis
- A pourable sauce made by straining fruit or other ingredients.
- Emulsification
- The process of finely dispersing fat and water so that they blend uniformly.
- Streusel
- An ingredient made by gathering flour, sugar, fat and other ingredients into crumbs and baking them. Some versions use cocoa and almonds.
- Marsala
- A fortified wine made in Sicily, Italy. It is also used to flavor sweets.
- Giacomo Leopardi
- A 19th-century Italian poet. In a letter to his father, he wrote about a dairy sweet he had come to know while traveling.
- Latte e mele
- The name of an old Italian dairy sweet. In historical sources, sweetened whipped cream and similar preparations are also referred to by this name.
Parade'sCafé Noir Panna Cotta / Café Noir Panna Cotta
Crafted by Parade, a patisserie in Fushimi-Momoyama, Kyoto, this grown-up dessert lets you enjoy the contrast between gentle bitterness and soft sweetness: “Café Noir Panna Cotta.”
The coffee jelly is made with top-grade beans from Chomsky Coffee, a coffee shop in Ishikawa Prefecture. We bring out the beans’ natural aroma and deep bitterness, finishing the jelly with a crisp aftertaste and a clean flavor.
For the panna cotta, we sought a balance of smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture and lightness, so that you can taste the richness of the milk without any heaviness lingering.
It is designed so that, when layered with the coffee jelly, the two do not clash but bring out the best in each other. The first spoonful offers the gentle bitterness of coffee, followed by the creamy finish of the panna cotta spreading softly, so you can enjoy it comfortably to the very last bite.
Parade'sHoney-Scented Black Tea and Peach Panna Cotta / Panna cotta au thé et à la pêche
From Cafe & Sweets Parade Kyoto, a pastry shop in Fushimi-Momoyama, Kyoto, comes the seasonal limited-edition “Honey-Scented Black Tea and Peach Panna Cotta”, which layers the gently spreading aroma of black tea with the sweetness of juicy peaches.
The tea we use is Taiwanese “Mi Xiang black tea” (mikkō kōcha, honey-scented black tea). It is characterized by a natural, honey-like sweet aroma that develops during fermentation and a clean, clear aftertaste. So that its aroma is not lost even when combined with milk, we gave it a gentle flavor that blends into the panna cotta. For the peaches, we use juicy, succulent fruit selected to match their peak season. To bring out the gentle sweetness and juiciness of the fruit, we keep the sweetness modest and pay careful attention to the balance with the tea. In addition, the pale pink color comes naturally from the peach skins, with no coloring agents used whatsoever. Using every part of our ingredients and adding nothing unnecessary are also commitments at Parade.
