Panna cotta is a simple Italian dessert made of milk or cream, sweetener, and gelatin. It requires no baking and no special baking tools. I turned mine into something more high-protein and gut-friendly through the addition of Greek yogurt! This recipe is a cross between a healthy dessert and a fun breakfast. Although I made a small batch, this gave me the opportunity to use up my leftover Greek yogurt, strawberry curd, yuzu curd, and heavy cream, making for a great pantry project!

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Two-tone panna cottas allow you to elevate a simple dessert into something colorful and fun while staying low-effort. This is accomplished by adding one of your flavored/colored panna cottas to a clear serving vessel. (You can tilt it for a diagonal look.) Once it's completely set in the fridge, you can add a different type of panna cotta on top. Chill again, and it's ready to serve!

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Pictured flavor lineup (left to right):

• Strawberry Matcha Milk: Mix strawberry curd, puree, or jam in half the panna cotta. Add to vessel and let set. Add sifted matcha powder in the other half of the panna cotta mixture. Pour over the strawberry layer and chill. Before serving, add more strawberry curd or jam and whipped cream on top.

• Yuzu-Honey-Ginger: Substitute the sugar in the base recipe with honey. One of the panna cotta layers should have yuzu curd folded in. Garnished with candied ginger pieces.

• Black Sesame-Vanilla: Use plain panna cotta base as the bottom layer. Mix black sesame powder or paste into a small portion of the panna cotta base and pour on top of the vanilla layer. Set and garnish with black sesame seeds.

• Milk Tea-Coffee with Boba (Yuenyeung): Based on a popular Hong Kong drink. The milk tea layer requires steeping black tea leaves in the cream of the panna cotta base recipe. Strain the tea leaves, then add more cream to replace the lost volume. Proceed with panna cotta base. Make coffee jelly. Alternate one layer at a time, setting completely before adding the next layer. Top with whipped cream and cooked brown sugar tapioca pearls.

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Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes (plus 3 hours chilling time)

Serves: 6

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Ingredients:​
 

• 1 envelope unflavored powdered gelatin (2 1/4 teaspoons)

• 2 Tablespoons cold water for blooming gelatin

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

• 2 cups Greek yogurt

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Directions:

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1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the 2 Tablespoons cold water. Let stand 5 minutes, then set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, bring cream, sugar, and vanilla bean and seeds to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin until melted.

3. In a bowl, whisk the yogurt until smooth. Gradually whisk in the vanilla cream, making sure not to leave any lumps. Remove the vanilla bean pod. Pour the mixture into six 4-ounce jars and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.

4. Garnish your panna cottas and serve. For longer storage, cover each jar with a lid or plastic wrap once cooled.