Weir Cooking in the City: Panna Cotta with Raspberries Serves: 6 In Italian, panna cotta means "cooked cream." Like all custards, I think that makes it a great choice for adults and children alike. So when my brother, John, and his son, Cory, came into the city recently for dinner, I made panna cotta for dessert, and knowing that my brother loves vanilla like I do, I put lots of vanilla bean into the custards. As I turned the custards out onto the serving plates, my nephew asked why I put all that black pepper into the panna cotta. It was just all the little vanilla seeds! Despite the "pepper," they both absolutely loved the dessert. I adapted this recipe from one by Nancy Silverton of Campanile in Los Angeles. She is a fantastic pastry chef, baker, and, in food circles, well known for her creamy panna cotta. Ingredients Custards • 2 tablespoons cold water • 1 3/4 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream • 1/2 cup milk • 4 tablespoons sugar • Pinch of salt • 2 vanilla beans Sauce • 2 cups raspberries • 3 tablespoons water • 2 tablespoons sugar Preparation Make the custards: Place the water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and set aside until softened, about 5 minutes. Place the cream, milk, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a saucepan. With a small knife, cut halfway through the vanilla bean lengthwise. Open the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the pot. Add the beans to the vanilla mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to medium heat, and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Watch closely so it doesn't boil over. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and the gelatin mixture until dissolved. Strain the cream through a fine-mesh strainer; discard the vanilla beans. Chill in the refrigerator or over an ice bath just until cool and slightly thicker than heavy cream, but not set. Pour into 6 5-ounce ramekins. Refrigerate for 3 hours. Make the sauce: Puree 1 1/4 cups of the raspberries in a blender with the water, sugar, kirsch, and lemon juice. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Place in a bowl and add the remaining 3/4 cup raspberries; stir together. Just before serving, run a small knife around the edge of each ramekin. Unmold the panna cotta onto serving plates and spoon the sauce around the custards. Recipe ©2004 Joanne Weir from Weir Cooking in the City, reprinted by permission.