Panna cotta — "cooked cream" — is the Piemontese dessert of lightly sweetened cream set with a small amount of gelatin. The technique produces a gel at the precise intersection of richness and delicacy: heavy enough to unmould cleanly, light enough to tremble. The ratio of gelatin is the entire technique — too much produces a bouncy, rubbery set; too little produces a cream that slumps when unmoulded.
- **The gelatin ratio:** Approximately 1 sheet of gelatin per 200ml cream — but this varies by the cream's fat content and the desired firmness. [VERIFY] Hazan's specific gelatin specification - **Gelatin bloom:** Leaf gelatin soaked in cold water until soft (5 minutes), then squeezed and dissolved in the warm cream. Never added to boiling liquid — high heat degrades gelatin's setting properties - **The cream temperature:** Warm but not hot (60–65°C) when the bloomed gelatin is added. Above 80°C: gelatin partially denatures. Below 50°C: the gelatin will not dissolve fully - **The set:** Pour into lightly oiled moulds, refrigerate minimum 4 hours. The set should produce a cream that unmoulds with a slight trembling motion — it should not be rigid - **Unmoulding:** Brief warm water bath or gentle heat around the mould base to loosen the gelatin layer against the mould surface Decisive moment: The trembling test before unmoulding — shake the mould gently. A correctly set panna cotta trembles as a single unit — the entire mass moves together. Under-set: the surface ripples and moves independently of the body. Over-set: the mass does not move at all.
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