Recipe: Atlantas Pricci Restaurants White Chocolate Panna Cotta

From Denny: How many of you like panna cotta? We enjoy this light but tasty dessert at our house often - and it's so easy to make! We love variety and today's recipe is just the ticket.

You can go whole hog and try your hand at making this dessert trio or you could just make the panna cotta with a crushed favorite cookie for a crust to save time.

"This dessert trio from Pricci, White Chocolate Panna Cotta With Pistachio Biscotti and Blood Orange Gelee, is part of a romantic meal they created for Valentine's Day. It can be made a day or two before serving."

Hands on time: 45 minutes
Total time: 3 hours
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

FOR PISTACHIO BISCOTTI:

Makes: about 20 cookies
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 3 hours (includes baking and cooling time)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar plus more for tops of cookies
Pinch salt
1/2 cup finely ground unsalted pistachios
1 cup all-purpose flour

FOR WHITE CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA:

Makes: 3 1/2-cup servings
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 3 hours (includes chilling time)

1/2 packet gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR BLOOD ORANGE GELEE:

Makes: 6 2-tablespoon servings
Hands on: 10 minutes
Total time: 3 hours (includes chilling time)

1/2 packet gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup blood orange juice (from 2-3 blood oranges)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon limoncello

Instructions:

FOR PISTACHIO BISCOTTI: (Take care handling these shortbread cookies; they crumble easily.)

In a stand mixer or food processor combine the butter, sugar and salt until creamy. Add the pistachios and flour and mix until just combined. Divide the dough into 2 pieces; shape each into a ball and then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.

Roll a disk of dough between 2 sheets of wax paper to 1/4-inch thickness (do not roll too thin, or the cookies will break). Use a biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter to cut into shapes slightly larger than the molds you will use for the panna cotta. Cut into desired shape and arrange on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for at least 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle the cookies generously with sugar and bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool completely before removing from the parchment. Store in an airtight container.

FOR WHITE CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA:

Combine gelatin and water and set aside. In a medium saucepan combine cream, milk and sugar. Heat until steaming but do not boil. Add the white chocolate and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat. Stir in gelatin and vanilla. Strain the mixture, then pour it into ramekins or molds. Chill, covered, until set, about 3 hours.

FOR BLOOD ORANGE GELEE:

Combine gelatin and water and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring the orange juice, lemon juice and sugar to a simmer. Turn off the heat; stir in the gelatin and limoncello. Strain into a small pan or dish. Chill until completely set, then cut into 3/4-inch cubes.

TO ASSEMBLE:

Assemble immediately before serving: Place a Pistachio Biscotti on each of 2 dessert plates. Run a small sharp knife around the inside wall of two of the panna cotta molds and unmold a White Chocolate Panna Cotta onto each of the cookies. Arrange a few cubes of Blood Orange Gelee around each plate.

Note: You will have extra of each dessert. Each element can be made up to 2 days in advance.
Total time includes baking, cooling and chilling time for the three components of the recipe.

Nutrition:
Pistachio Biscotti, per cookie: 90 calories (percent of calories from fat, 60), 1 gram protein, 8 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 6 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 12 milligrams cholesterol, 8 milligrams sodium.

White Chocolate Panna Cotta, per serving: 416 calories (percent of calories from fat, 75), 3 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 36 grams fat (22 grams saturated), 110 milligrams cholesterol, 57 milligrams sodium.

Blood Orange Gelee, per serving: 38 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, trace fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 7 milligrams sodium.


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