Strawberry and Cream Panna Cotta Fruit Cups

Let's give a new shape to this classic Italian dessert
 with beautiful and fun, pink and white, panna cotta cups filled with lots of fresh berries 

I'm so excited to share this dessert with you today. Because I know that this recipe will have you itching to get into the kitchen and try it out. NOW!
These unique strawberries and vanilla cups have all the mouthwatering creaminess and richness of the classic Italian panna cotta. But in a eye-catching presentation and a fun gravity-defying shape.

What I love the most about these cups is that each comes with two fancy layers of cream, a strawberry pink and a vanilla white. These cover opposite sides of the glass, leaving a lot of space in the middle to fill with heaps of fresh fruit. A perfectly balanced dessert!
No more boring cream-on-the-bottom and fruit-on-top. No need to gobble down all the berries first, before enjoying the panna cotta at the end.

Every spoonful of this masterpiece is a perfect combination of cream and fruit, flavor and texture. Quite ingenious, right?!?

This recipe takes your classic panna cotta to a whole new exciting level. It looks so fancy and yet, it's quite simple.
We all know that panna cotta is laughably easy to prepare. It takes very little time to whip up, and it doesn't require any special skill.
These cups are no different, but with one big exception. 
What you need for this recipe is a lot of PATIENCE. 

So listen up! And make sure to follow the directions below very carefully. 

You need to prepare the strawberry panna cotta first (it only takes a few minutes), gently pour it in the glasses (placed at an angle), and let it set for about 90 minutes, or longer if you need. Then, and ONLY THEN ... sorry for being so loud today ;) Then, you can start with the vanilla layer. Once you pour the vanilla panna cotta in the glasses you need to wait. Again! At least a couple of hours for the second layer to set. 
I know, that's a loooong time before you get to taste this delicious dessert. Patience is definitely NOT my strongest suit. But I made it, so can you. And it's all worth it! 

Enjoy :)

Ingredients: making 4 cups (I used 12 fl oz (355 ml) glasses*

For the strawberry panna cotta:

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of milk
• 1 package (1/4 oz, 7 gr) of powder gelatin, unflavored
• 6 oz (170 gr) fresh strawberries
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1 cup (235 ml) of heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup (50 gr) of sugar

For the vanilla panna cotta:

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of milk
• 1 envelope** (1/4 oz, 7 gr) of powder gelatin, unflavored.
• 1 cup (235 ml) of heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup (50 gr) of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

• Mixed berries to fill the cups, about 16 oz  

*You can use smaller glasses, for smaller servings, and make more cups
** Only about 2/3 of the envelope is enough for this layer, but I used it all


Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 4 hours inactive
Directions:

Let's start with the strawberry panna cotta:
1. In a small bowl, add two tablespoons of milk and sprinkle with the gelatin powder. Stir and set aside for about 5 minutes while you do the next steps.

2. Purée the strawberries with one tablespoon of lemon juice in a blender. You can eliminate the seeds by passing  through a sieve. I left the little seeds in there. They don't bother me and I find that they add a little texture and color to the panna cotta.
If you substitute the strawberries with raspberries, then I do suggest removing the seeds.

 3. In a pan whisk together one cup of whipping cream with 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat.When it starts to bubble along the edges of the pan remove it from the heat.

4. Add the gelatin mixture, and whisk well until blended. Add the puréed strawberries and whisk some more. Cool for about 10-15 minutes, while you prepare your glasses.

5. Place four glasses in a container so that they will have about a  45 degree inclination. Find the right container (I used a rectangular baking pan) that can easily be stored in the refrigerator without moving the glasses.
I used a kitchen towel for the bottom of the container, so the glasses would not slip. And a wooden spoon to hold them in place in the middle.
I suggest testing the glasses inclination ahead of time, filling them with water to see what comes out.
I used four 12 fl oz (355 ml) glasses.

Carefully pour the strawberry panna cotta into the four glasses. I filled each with about 4 fl oz (120 ml) of strawberry mixture.

Refrigerate for one to two hours (or longer). After one hour and 15 minutes mine were perfectly set. That's when I started working on the second part of the recipe.

6. When the first layer of panna cotta is set, you can start preparing the second vanilla layer.
Similar steps as before:

Mix two tablespoons of milk with the gelatin powder. Set aside.
In a pan whisk together one cup of whipping cream, 1/4 cup of sugar AND one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Whisk in the gelatin mixture. Let it cool for about 15-20 minutes.

7. Remove the container with the glasses from the refrigerator. Turn the glasses around 180 degrees, leaving them in the container. (The strawberry layer is now on top -as shown here)

Carefully pour the vanilla panna cotta into the glasses. You should have about  2 fl oz (60 ml) in each glass.

8. Refrigerate for at least one hour and a half, or until ready to serve.

Fill the cups with fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries) and serve.

Enjoy :)