Vanilla Bean Bunny Panna Cotta for a Spring Tea

Last year I came across a set of vintage bunny molds and

I couldn't wait for Spring so that I could share them on the

blog! The only question was, what dessert to use with them?!

I had but one thought...Panna Cotta! 

Have you tried Panna Cotta? It's a creamy, silky custard-like 

Italian dessert that's very easy to make and can be made in 

advance.  It's a molded dessert and can be served in teacups, 

pretty glasses, or any other individual serving dishes that you 

have. It's wonderful served with fresh fruit, especially berries!

These panna cotta are so easy and only take minutes to

prepare! The hard part is waiting for them to set in the

refrigerator! But it's a great make ahead dessert, and 

so delicious! They look so impressive that your guests

will think you spent all day on them! (We won't tell!!)

To make the bunny detail stand out, I removed a tablespoon or 

so (per mold) of the mixture and mixed it with some pink food 

coloring. I poured this mixture into the bunny part of the mold

and let it set before adding the rest of the mixture.

I used vanilla bean paste instead of extract because of it's

wonderful flavor and because I love to see the pretty specks 

in the panna cotta.

VANILLA BEAN PANNA COTTA

adapted from here

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray

1 1/2 cups whole milk

3 teaspoons powdered gelatin

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or extract)

pinch salt

Instructions:

Lightly grease 6 4-ounce ramekins. Wipe most

of this out leaving just a light coating. Place them on a 

baking sheet. Pour the milk into a saucepan and sprinkle 

the powdered gelatin evenly over top. Let soften for 5 minutes 

or until the surface of the milk is wrinkled and the gelatin grains

 look wet and slightly dissolved. Set saucepan over low heat 

and warm the milk gently, stirring often. (Do not boil) 

After about 2 minutes of warming, rub a bit of the milk

between your fingers to make sure it's smooth and the grains 

of gelatin are dissolved. Stir the sugar into the milk and continue 

warming until it dissolves. It shouldn't take more than 5 minutes

total to dissolve both the gelatin and sugar. Remove the saucepan 

from the heat and whisk in the cream, vanilla and salt.

Pour mixture through a mesh strainer into ramekins, teacups or 

molds and place in the refrigerator (loosely covered with foil) 

to chill. If serving straight from the cups, without unmolding, 

chill for 1 to 2 hours. If unmolding the panna cotta, chill for at 

least 4 hours or overnight. To unmold, pour some warm to hot 

water partway into a large bowl. **To prepare the dessert plates, 

wipe them with a damp paper towel first because that will allow 

you to reposition the panna cotta more easily if it doesn't fall in

 the right spot. (Mine never did!)

Run a thin knife carefully around the sides of the ramekin. Don't

slide the knife all the way into the cup; just release the top edge of 

the pudding from the edge of the cup. Dip the ramekin in the warm 

water up to its rim and hold it there for about 3 seconds. Wipe the 

bottom of the ramekin with a cloth then invert the ramekin over the 

plate and shake gently. It should fall out on the plate easily. (If it 

doesn't, return to the warm water bath in increments of 2 seconds.) 

Reposition on the plate if necessary. Serve immediately, or refrigerate, 

lightly covered, for up to 5 days. Serve with fresh fruit and/or fruit 

sauce if desired. Makes 6 4-oz puddings.

Another delicious and easy teatime recipe from me to you!

enjoy!!