serves 6
Panna cotta has been co-opted by Greek professional and home cooks alike, and it’s morphed into an Italo-Greco hybrid, made nowadays with the likes of Greek yogurt and flavored with spoon sweets, Greek liqueurs, even herbal teas. This recipe is simple and elegant.
2 cups (480 ml) milk
1 cup (240 ml) Greek yogurt
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
2 tablespoons mastiha liqueur, or ½ teaspoon mastiha (mastic) crystals pounded with 1 teaspoon sugar in a mortar with a pestle
3 long strips lemon zest (peeled with a vegetable peeler)
4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder
½ cup (100 g) sugar
Orange preserves or Greek orange or neratzi (bitter orange) spoon sweets (see Note, here), for garnish
¼ cup (60 ml) Greek honey, for garnish
In a medium saucepan, combine 1½ cups (360 ml) of the milk, the yogurt, cream, mastiha liqueur (or pulverized crystals), and lemon zest and whisk to combine. Cover and bring to a simmer over low heat. Remove from the heat and let the mixture stand for 1 hour.
Sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the remaining ½ cup (120 ml) milk in a small bowl to soften.
Return the milk-yogurt mixture to a simmer over medium heat, then remove from the heat. Pour in the gelatin mixture and the sugar and whisk until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher. Pour the panna cotta mixture into six ⅔-cup (150 ml) ramekins and chill until set, at least 2 hours.
To serve: Run a knife around each of the ramekins to loosen the panna cotta and invert onto individual serving plates. Top each with 2 teaspoons of the preserves or spoon sweet and drizzle with honey. Serve immediately.