Grownup Jello! (Panna Cotta)

I recently discovered panna cotta - The Waffle Window puts it on their waffles sometimes. SO GOOD. and ridiculously easy. Plus, it has an Italian name, so if you tell people you made panna cotta, they will instantly be impressed. The basics go like this:

♥ Take a custard cup (or another sturdy glass bowl) and sprinkle one packet of unflavored gelatin into 1/4 cup of cold water. Wait for 15 minutes or so, until it becomes soft and kind of gross-looking.

♥ Boil an inch of water in a sauce pan and carefully put the cup of gelatin into it, stirring until the gelatin fully dissolves and becomes clear. Remove from heat.

♥ Carefully bring 3 cups of cream and 2/3 cup of sugar to a boil (I used half and half. I don't see why you couldn't use soy milk or coconut milk. yum!). Remove from heat, and stir in a teaspoon of vanilla (or another flavoring) and the gelatin. Let it cool for a bit, and then cover and put in the fridge. It needs at least 6 hours to set.

Ingredients:
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
3 cups cream
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cooking time - 20-30 minutes
Chilling time - 6 hours.
Eating time - 30 seconds.
It's really good with fresh fruit to top it. You can pour it into separate dishes or wine glasses to serve. But the really great thing about this is that there are so many ways to change it. Yay!