COOKED CREAM WITH RED WINE SYRUP

Panna Cotta

SERVES 6–8

Italians are not very big on using heavy cream in entrées or seasoning sauces and dressings. For us, panna—cream—has always been for dessert. You can also serve this dish without the wine syrup if you prefer—or if, as in my house, your grandpa drank all the wine syrup while it was still warm.

For the cream:

3½ tsp. gelatin powder or 6 sheets of gelatin

2 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

6 tbsp. brown sugar

Tiny pinch of fine salt

1½ tsp. vanilla extract or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean (see note below)

For the wine syrup:

3 cups red wine

½ cup sugar or ½ cup honey

1 cinnamon stick

3 ribbons orange peel

Put the gelatin and milk in a saucepan and let it bloom for about 20 minutes. Then add the cream, brown sugar, and pinch of salt.

Bring the mixture to a simmer over low heat, whisking to make sure that the gelatin and sugar are dissolved. Then add the vanilla extract or seeds and whisk one more time.

Transfer the cream mixture to a bowl and place the bowl in an ice bath (see note on here) for about 30 minutes to cool it down and help it thicken. Divide the mixture into 6-8 glasses and refrigerate for a minimum of 4–5 hours, preferably overnight.

To prepare the wine syrup, place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the liquid over medium heat to about and cool it completely. Remove the orange peel.

Serve the individual glasses of panna cotta with about 2 tablespoons of wine syrup drizzled on top of each.

NOTE: To use a whole vanilla bean, cut the pod in half lengthwise and use the tip of a sharp knife to scrape the sticky seeds from the inside of the pod.