Panna Cotta with Berry Sauce – A Sweet Discovery in Florence 🇮🇹

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Atsuko
Panna Cotta with berry sauce
Author Profile Image

Atsuko

Founder of @Umami Sans Frontières

This silky-smooth Italian panna cotta was a sweet discovery during a summer evening in Florence. After a full day of sightseeing, it was the perfect way to end our meal—light, chilled, and beautifully balanced with a tangy berry sauce.🫐🍓 Originally from Piedmont in northern Italy, panna cotta is now enjoyed throughout the country. With no need for an oven, it’s a wonderfully easy dessert to prepare at home—perfect for hot days or elegant dinner gatherings.✨ In this post, I’ll show you how to recreate this refreshing treat inspired by my trip to Florence.
Expense
💵
Preparation
25 mins
Baking time
Rest Time
300 mins

Ingredients

Cooking time: Approx. 25 minutes (excluding chilling time)
Ingredients:

For 4 people:

Panna Cotta

  • 8 g of Gelatin
  • 400 g of Heavy Cream
  • 2 teaspoons of Vanilla Sugar or Vanilla Essence
  • 50 g of Sugar

Sauce

  • 200 g of Raspberries or Mixed Berries
  • 50 g of Sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice
  • 8–10 Raspberries or Blueberries (for garnish)
How to make it:

🥣 Make Panna Cotta

1/ Prepare the gelatin: Place the gelatin in a bowl of water and let it soak for 10–15 minutes.

Gelatine water

2/ Heat the cream: In a saucepan, combine the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla essence. Heat over medium heat.

3/ Remove from heat:
Once the cream begins to boil gently around the edges, remove the pan from the heat.

4/ Add the gelatin: Squeeze out the excess water from the softened gelatin and add it to the hot cream. Stir until the gelatin is fully dissolved.

Milk sugar gelatine

5/ Chill until set: Pour the mixture into molds or serving cups. Refrigerate for about 5 hours, or until fully set.

Panna cotta

🥣 Make the Raspberry Sauce

6/ Cook the ingredients: Wash the raspberries. In a saucepan, combine the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Heat while stirring gently.

Raspberries subar

raspberries sugar cooked

7/ Blend and strain: Once the berries have softened, blend the mixture until smooth using a hand blender. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve and transfer it to a container.

raspberries blended

raspberries sauce strained raspberry sauce

8 Prepare the garnish: Wash the extra raspberries (or blueberries) for garnish and pat them dry.

🥣 To Serve

9/ Unmold the panna cotta: If you’re using a mold with a built-in release mechanism like mine, simply turn it upside down and remove the small lid on the bottom—the panna cotta will slide out easily onto the plate. (No need to dip it in hot water or run a knife around the edge.)

panna cotta in the mold

panna cotta served

10/ Add sauce and garnish: Spoon the berry sauce over the panna cotta and top with the fresh berries. Enjoy!

Panna Cotta a raspberry sauce

🌟Tips for Perfect Panna Cotta🌟

⭐️ Chill and Set Ahead of Time: Panna cotta is a perfect make-ahead dessert. Prepare it the day before, and you’ll have a stress-free, elegant treat ready for your guests or a relaxing finish to dinner the next day.

⭐️ Use a Clever Mold for Easy Release: I used cute pink and blue molds with lids, bought at a local supermarket. After chilling, simply flip the mold upside down and pop open the small bottom lid—the panna cotta slides out cleanly onto the plate!
It works just like Pucchin Purin, a popular Japanese store-bought pudding with a fun feature: break the tab at the bottom, and the pudding drops onto the plate with a satisfying “plop”! A clever little invention that makes serving so much easier.molds

⭐️ Soak the Gelatin Properly: Soak the gelatin in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes before using. This helps it dissolve completely and prevents any lumps.

⭐️ Don’t Let the Cream Boil: Overheating can cause the cream to separate. As soon as you see small bubbles forming around the edge, remove it from the heat.

⭐️ Let It Cool Slightly Before Pouring: If the cream is too hot when poured into molds, it may separate as it cools. Let it cool down slightly first for a smoother finish.

⭐️ Chill Thoroughly (At Least 5 Hours): Even if it looks set on the surface, the center might still be soft. Give it enough time to fully set in the fridge. 5 hours or more is best

Umami Sans Frontières – Copyrights 2025
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Written byAtsuko

Founder of @Umami Sans Frontières

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