Mango Panna Cotta

     I love serving mini desserts for my dessert spread for parties. Mini cakes, cookies, brownies and mousse. And of course panna cotta. I always make mango panna cotta because it looks fancy but actually is a cinch to make. Topped with sweet mangoes when they are in season, it provides the perfect fruity balance to each creamy spoonful of this dessert. This combination is like a match made in heaven. You can use other fruit toppings like strawberries or passionfruit. You can also top them with ganache or even Nutella.

        Making panna cotta takes only about 20 minutes and you can make it  days in advance too. Panna cotta literally means cooked cream. And as the name implies, it requires heating the cream with gelatin over a flame and then letting it set in the refrigerator.

Mango Panna Cotta

Ingredients
1 liter heavy cream
1 cup fresh milk
2/3 cup refined sugar
2 envelopes Knox gelatin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Sprinkle gelatin on top of milk and let bloom. Set aside.
2. Combine heavy cream and sugar in a saucepan.
3. Add milk and gelatin mixture.
4. Heat the mixture gently until gelatin is dissolved.
5. Add vanilla extract.
6. Divide into dessert containers.
7. Chill until set and ready to serve.
8. Top with chopped mango or mango balls.

Makes 48 single serve dessert cups.