I generally don’t get excited over dessert. Cake, pie, pastry, ices: they are all very nice but I’m a savoury girl. Give me a choice between a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s finest or a buttered slice of toast and the toast wins every time.
At least, that was the case until yesterday.
Yesterday, with the intention of complementing some plump, juicy blueberries, I tried my hand at pannacotta. The result was more-ish in the extreme! So much so that if today I had the choice between that same perfect slice of toast and the following dish, the dessert would win hands down.
Really.
Buttermilk Pannacotta with Blueberries
(serves 4)
For the pannacotta:
150ml double cream
2 tblspn sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
250ml buttermilk
1/2 packet gelatin
- Heat the cream, sugar and vanilla essence gently until warmed through and sugar has dissolved.
- Meanwhile, dissolve gelatin in 50ml warm water.
- Pour the cream mixture over the gelatin and stir well.
- Gradually add the buttermilk whisking gently.
- Once all the ingredients have combined pour into four individual ramekins and cover with foil.
- Place in fridge for at least 4 hours.
For the blueberry sauce:
50ml blueberry jam (I made my own using frozen blueberries – it’s really good on toast!)
15ml water
1/2 lemon, juice and rind
- Gently warm all the ingredients until the jam loosens into a thick, glossy sauce.
To serve:
Tip pannacotta mixture out of ramekin and place in the middle of a large plate. Top with a good handful of blueberries and pour over sauce. A sprig of mint looks cute on top. 🙂
A Wee Bit of Cooking 
Hey Wendy, as you know I am back home and finally on line again. The computers and networks in this world have minds of their own and it can be tricky getting them to cooperate. Anyhow, I am finally getting to play catch up from the week that I missed.
Your blueberries are…just beautiful! Those guys are my favorite fruit and I am so jealous that you are able to grow them. I was watching a gardening show this morning and they had a segment on blueberries. Apparently they have ones that you can grow in containers that can tolerate warmer climates. So I may have to get my garden catalog out and give them a try here as soon as the temps cool down a bit.
Your site is looking so great !!!! Hope the little gremlins at school are behaving !
Even the name – buttermilk panna cotta with blueberries – sounds absolutely delicious, and your picture is wonderful. And I love your Moomin mug – almost as much as mine 🙂
I agree with Pille. The name is utterly enticing! I haven’t made pannacotta in ages, and you’ve absolutely inspired me. And that’s even though I, too, am a savory girl. Twiglets, pickled onion monster munch, skips, stilton cheese, truffles….some combination of those 5 would pretty much be my ideal meal. I now need to go hit Myers of Keswick, which is the only store in Manhattan where I can get my British junk food fix. Gorgeous post though – really beautiful.
Beautiful dessert, Wendy! Aren’t pannacotttas amazingly easy to make, yet so elegant? I love butter sliced toast too.
p/s: love your mug
Wow, that is some serious panacotta then! I’m a savoury person too.
By the way, love the cup 🙂
I love this dessert. In fact, I love fruity dessert – perfect to end a meal… 🙂
Wendy, your panna cotta looks awesome!
I never even heard of pannacottas? doh! It does look easy to make. ohh, I could just eat that right now!
How wonderful to have blueberries in your garden! This is just about the only food I buy frozen, as I love them so much and the fresh ones are so rare and expensive. Your pannacotta looks amazing.
How very annoying. I just wrote personal comments for everyone and they disappeared! >:-( Off out now but THANK YOU everyone for the sweet comments. 🙂
I think you are very lucky not caring so much for sweets, Wendy – but this looks like it could convert anyone! 🙂
simply divine. just look at that presentation. i adore blueberries in just about anything and EVERYTHING. this photo is also gorgeous. i was just discussing this very dessert with my boyfriend last night. i cant wait to try this recipe!
I am a pannacotta addict in the summertime, when the fruit is so sweet and perfect for topping a creamy coolness. I love buttermilk pannacotta especially because of the tang. You and are so much in the same mindset right now–I had been thinking about posting about a similar dessert.
I’m so happy you’re still enjoying those blueberries.
That pannacotta looks absolutely amazing. Wow. I wish I could have a bite right now! I’ve admittedly never used gelatin before so that’s on my shortlist of culinary feats to check off 🙂
Love pannacotta. Too much sometimes, but with buttermilk it must be light and divine.
Savoury girl here too!
Deb – Great to have you back! Christina at “A Thinking Stomach” said she’s growing container blueberries for warm climates. Perhaps you could ask her how it’s going?
Pille – I’ve been collecting those mugs for a couple of years now but I don’t have your one yet. It’s gorgeous!
Amanda – Pickled Onion Monster Munch? Yummmm…. 🙂
Nora – Definitely my new dessert of choice when people come for dinner. It’s so easy!
Cynthia – It is, indeed!
Anh – Fruity desserts are my favourite too. 🙂
Maryanne – Thank you!
Megandog – It’s an Italian dessert. Usually made with milk and cream but I prefer the lightness of the buttermilk.
Rosa – I am a lucky woman!
Patricia – I have plenty of other weaknesses though!
Linda – Thank you very much! I was a bit proud of it. 🙂
Christina – Funny, that. 🙂 The blueberry bushes are actually producing far more fruit than I had originally expected. Very happy!
Elly – I used it for the first time when I made marshmallows. Was a little wary but it worked a treat!
Lucy – Quite a few of us savoury folk around, it seems!
Your arrangement and pictures were so enticing that I just had to try your recipe for Pannacotta. I have never had Pannacotta before and this was very easy to make. A refreshingly light dessert.
Diane – Very glad that you liked it! It’s fast become my favourite dessert. 🙂
Sounds and looks delicious! 🙂
Greetings, Margot
Oh just so you know, I’ve always been consider to be the Moomintrolls’ Lilla My by my family, even if I’m now older and wiser *sort of* – so that mug (I have a similar one) strikes a cord:)
I love pannacotta but as a vegetarian I make it without gelatin, I just wish I has such extraordinary blueberries to match *yum*!
Wendy, just came upon your site via someone elses, via someone elses again (thats the way it happens, isn’t it?) and like Pille, I got a jump when I spied your Moomin mug! I love love love the Moomin books (and Lilla, tho the Fillijonk is a fav), how wonderful! Moomi’s are very rare down under, noone ever knows them, but for some reason I had the books as a child – now I want to rush out and see if I can find them and read them again!
oh, and lovely blueberries too! 😉
Margot – Thank you and welcome!
Pia – That’s funny! I know she’s called “pikku myy” in Finnish but I can’t remember her English name!
Zoe – Welcome! The moomins are wonderful, aren’t they? I used to live near Moomin-Land in Finland. Great fun!
I think it’s Little My in English, but My being pronounced as in Swedish and I suppose in the Finnish name, myy – it’s always fascinating how different typical names in one language are being translated and pronounced in others!
I’m getting excited just thinking about eating this panna cotta; and your blueberry polenta cake looks fabulous! It looks just like my mom’s blueberry corn cake (that was always one of my favorites), and I’m getting nostalgic for it now!
Pia – Mystery solved. 🙂
Susan – Thanks! I’m looking forward to making the pannacotta again soon too!
Soup, especially Scotch Broth, is at the top of my list but I too just love Panna Cotta. First tasted in Italy on a skiing trip, and since then a firm favourite. I was surprised at how easy they are and always expected a disaster, but they have never failed. I haven’t tried them with blueberries but as my favourite berry, I’ll be trying this out soon.
By the way, thanks for a great blog!
Fiona – Welcome! And thank you! I read the lovely comment you made about my blog on the Inverness College computing blog (think that’s what it was). Tried to say thank you but wasn’t allowed. 🙂 So, thank you again!
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I saw your blog while searching Google. Very interesing article I must say. I will now share it with my facebook friends.
I don’t suppose you would be willing to share your recipe for the blueberry jam made with frozen bloobies (as my 3 year old daughter calls them)? Would love to give it a try (also the panna cotta naturally!)
Lovely blog by the way.
Angie
Angie – Wish I could remember exactly what I did… Shall attempt to make another batch this week and post about it if it is successful!
Thanks for this, let me know!
Angie