I made Mireille Guiliano's Panna Cotta Recipe from "French Women Don't Get Fat"

Original recipe from Guiliano's site linked below!

I tore through Mireille Guiliano's French Women Don't Get Fat as soon as I got my hands on it. While the title may seem controversial, the premise of the book is to teach (mainly North American) women how to eat for pleasure and embrace French cuisine, all while ditching the negativity and anxiety that so many of us North Americans have developed around food. In my opinion, it's not a diet book so much as a guide to developing a healthy and joyful relationship to food, and mending the love/hate relationship with cuisine that so many people struggle with. As I read, I found myself saying "yes!" to so many of the points that Guiliano makes so eloquently throughout the pages.

Throughout the pages, also, were many French recipes that Guiliano had curated over the years - I did a play on her "magical leek soup" that I'm sure I will be posting here soon - but what I absolutely adored about these recipes is that for the most part they are simple yet elegant, featuring fresh, nutritious ingredients and allowing them to shine through without much ceremony.

I've only had Panna Cotta once or twice in my lifetime, always at high end restaurants - but, let me tell you, now that I know how easy it is to make I won't be wasting my money paying restaurant prices for such a simple dessert again! I've always assumed that such a dainty and light delicacy is best left to the professionals - especially since dessert isn't my strong suit - but this recipe is really no more difficult than making regular old Jell-O!

Here are some notes from my own experience:

I made them larger than the recipe called for - As you will see below, the recipe is intended to serve 8. Since I had 5 dinner guests including myself, I decided to play it dangerously and see what would happen if I made 5 larger Panna Cottas. The result was a slightly less firm Panna Cotta, yet equally delicious. They still held their shape when I removed them from the ramekins, however, as you may notice they don't have the same definition as Guiliano's.

Some tips for consistency - As noted above, my Panna Cottas were slightly less firm than anticipated. I assumed that this was simply because I made them larger than the recipe calls for, but when I took to the internet to investigate what could have caused this FYI, I quickly realized that it was most likely because my gelatin granules weren't fully dissolved before I added the gelatin to the milk, cream, and sugar mixture. Apparently, this is a very important!

Another important step that you won't want to skip is removing the boiling milk, cream, and sugar mixture from the heat before adding the gelatin mixture. If the gelatin reaches a boiling point it will lose its thickening properties. Again, same rules as regular old Jell-O apply.

Fruit selection - I used fresh peaches and blueberries mixed with just a touch of honey and lemon for anyone who is curious, but as Guiliano mentions, I highly encourage any fresh seasonal fruit! Otherwise, in winter when fresh fruit is sparse, a nice compote would be beautiful as well. For anyone feeling adventurous, I would even try adding some fresh mint or basil to your fruit medley to really make it unique and fresh tasting.

Serving - With such a simple, unassuming dessert plating is key! I Found it easiest after dipping each ramekin in the boiling water (for no more than a couple seconds!) to flip each dessert plate upside down in order to align the Panna Cotta in the center before flipping both the plate and ramekin together onto the counter. Then, you can simply remove the ramekin upside down and voila! Top with your fruit medley or compote and serve.

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