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a half eaten chocolate panna cotta with berry compote in a glass with other panna cotta on the side

Chocolate Panna Cotta with Berry Compote

These Chocolate Panna Cotta are the perfect ending to any meal. Decadently rich in chocolate, creamy, and easy to make, they are the ultimate overnight dessert (and therefore so convenient for meal prep). Made with agar-agar for a vegetarian version, they are topped with a super easy berry compote: a match made in heaven with dark chocolate.

  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Scale

For the chocolate panna cotta:

4.5 ounces (130 g) of bittersweet dark chocolate (with 60% cacao content)

1 and ½ cups (375 ml) of heavy cream (also called whipping cream)

½ cup (125 ml) of whole milk

1 teaspoon (2 g) of agar agar powder

For the berry compote:

½ cup (75 g) of raspberries (fresh or frozen)

½ cup (75 g) of blueberries (fresh or frozen)

⅓ cup (65 g) of granulated sugar

1 tablespoon (15 ml) of water

Optional, for presentation:

a small handful of fresh berries

Instructions

Start by preparing the chocolate panna cotta:

  1. Roughly chop dark chocolate, and add it to a saucepan along with heavy cream and milk. 
  2. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer, stirring regularly to help melt the chocolate, for about 5-7 minutes. 
  3. When the chocolate has melted and the preparation starts bubbling, add the agar agar.
  4. Do not turn the heat down (the preparation should keep bubbling) and cook for 2 minutes, stirring dynamically and continuously with a whisk to help dissolve and cook the agar-agar. 
  5. Remove from the heat, then, using an immersion blender, mix for 10 seconds to help smooth the panna cotta mixture. Try not to incorporate too much air while mixing: keep the immersion blender fully immersed (do not bring it to the surface).
  6. Divide the hot chocolate panna cotta mixture among 4 heat-proof tumblers or ramekins.
  7. Using a wooden skewer or toothpick, create slow circular motions in each tumbler to help eliminate potential remaining air bubbles. 
  8. Allow to cool for 20 minutes at room temperature, then cover with cling film and place in the fridge overnight to set.

Make the berry compote:

  1. In a medium saucepan, add the raspberries, sugar, and water.
  2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cook for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon.
  3. Add the blueberries and cook for 2 more minutes.
  4. Transfer the compote to a container and let it cool for 20 minutes. Cover with a lid or cling film, and store overnight in the fridge. 
  5. Take the panna cotta and berry compote out of the fridge 10 minutes before serving to help loosen them up.
  6. Top each panna cotta with berry compote and add some optional fresh berries on top. It’s ready! Enjoy immediately!

Nim Keys

  1. Cooking the agar-agar for 2 minutes while whistling continuously is key to activating its jellifying properties. The preparation must be bubbling, ensuring that the temperature is high enough to properly cook the agar-agar.
  2. Mixing the panna cotta mixture with an immersion blender is important to make sure the final panna cotta texture is smooth. To avoid adding too much air into the mixture (which will result in small bubbles in the panna cotta), try to keep the immersion blender fully immersed (do not bring it to the surface).
  3. Making circular motions with a wooden skewer in the pan cotta mixture will burst potential air bubbles created by the immersion blender. It helps smooth the texture.
  4. When fresh raspberries and blueberries are not in season, use frozen ones – just add them frozen to the saucepan and proceed as written in the recipe, adding extra cooking time if need be.
  • Author: Ninon Michels
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Stove-Top
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: chocolate panna cotta, vegetarian panna cotta, panna cotta with agar-agar, berry compote,