And the Waiter Asked Chocolate or No Chocolate?

When in Italy we ate Panna Cotta every night after our meal and the big question from the waiter - "chocolata or no chocolata?"

Panna Cotta meaning "cooked cream" is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. It's very popular in restaurants and is easy enough to make at home. It can be flavored with many different ingredients like fresh berries and fruit sauces, but I like the classic with chocolate sauce - so the answer is "si, con il cioccolata, to the waiter!

It is usually served unfolded onto a dessert plate, but you can eat it right out of the cup if you prefer.

1⁄2 cup whole milk 
1 1⁄2 cup heavy whipping cream 
2 tbsp honey 
1 tbsp sugar 
1⁄2 of a vanilla bean 
3 sheets gelatin OR 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin

Place whole milk, whipping cream, honey, sugar, and vanilla bean in a sauce pan with the gelatin sheets and let stand 5-8 minutes. Heat all ingredients until gelatin is dissolved. DO NOT BOIL. Discard the vanilla bean. Cool down and put into 4 (lightly coated with cooking spray) dessert cups or ramekins, cover tops with plastic wrap  and refrigerate for 24 hours.

To make the chocolate sauce, microwave 3 oz. chopped dark chocolate bar and ¾ cup heavy cream in a bowl at high 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds.

Serve chilled panna cotta with the dark chocolate sauce on top. You can also garnish with chocolate shavings and a sprig of mint.

Delizioso!