A delicious Panna Cotta Tart with a Chocolate Dough Crust and a Vanilla filling, topped with fresh Berries. An Easy Italian Dessert.
So here I am living in Italy for over 20 years and I have never tasted never mind made Panna Cotta! Absurd right? Especially when something this easy is so darn delicious.
I even asked the Italian if he had ever tried it and surprise surprise once or twice was his response. Panna Cotta became my new obsession, it was everywhere and I had never tasted it.
What could be easier then heating together whole cream, sugar and vanilla then adding some gelatin? Fast Easy and amazingly creamy, rich and you-have-got-to-try-this.
Chocolate Vanilla Berry Panna Cotta Tart
At first I thought I would do the usual Vanilla Panna Cotta in either a glass or in a mold and then I thought if I can fill a Crostata with Italian Pastry Cream why not make the perfect Chocolate Pie Dough and fill it with this exquisite filling.
Not only that, I was going to make a sauce with Berries as the perfect topping and of course some grated chocolate doesn’t hurt either!
I made my pie dough, baked it and while it was cooling I made the Vanilla Panna Cotta. Don’t worry about it being watery it will firm up in the refrigerator.
Your Chocolate Vanilla Berry Panna Cotta Tart will have to stay in the fridge for at least 4-5 hours. I left mine overnight.
If you are making the Berry Sauce you could make that ahead of time and refrigerate until serving your Panna Cotta Dessert. I would love to know what you think of this if you were asking yourself “What took me so long to try this”? Enjoy!
Chocolate Vanilla Berry Panna Cotta Tart
Ingredients
CHOCOLATE PIE DOUGH
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar 91.6 grams
- 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons butter 100 grams
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 4.2 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder 7 grams
- 1 1/2 cups flour 187.50 grams
- 2 tablespoons cocoa 14.76 grams
- 1/4 teaspoon salt 1.4 grams
VANILLA PANNA COTTA
- 3 gelatin leaves (or 1 tablespoon powder)
- 2 cups + 3 tablespoons whole/heavy or whipping cream 500 ml
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar 80 grams
BERRY SAUCE
- 2 cups berries (I used 1 cup frozen and 1 cup fresh) 200 grams
- 1/4 cup water 59 grams
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey 31.5 grams
Instructions
CHOCOLATE PIE DOUGH
- In a medium bowl cream together butter, sugar and vanilla then add egg, combine. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa.Add to dry mixture to cream mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until almost combined, move to a lightly floured flat surface and knead gently just until you have a soft dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.Pre-heat oven to 350°F (180°C) . Lightly grease and flour an 8 inch pie plate.Remove dough from fridge and on a lightly floured flat surface roll dough to 1/8″ thickness and fit in pan. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork, then cover the dough with parchment paper and weigh it down with dry beans or pie weights. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, remove paper and bake another 3-5 minutes. Let cool completely.
VANILLA PANNA COTTA
- In a small bowl add cold water and soak the gelatin leaves for 10 minutes*. Remove from water and squeeze out well excess moisture OR In a very small saucepan add 2 tablespoons water and sprinkle in gelatin let stand about 1 minute to soften. Heat gelatin mixture over low heat until gelatin is dissolved and remove pan from heat.In a medium pot add cream, vanilla and sugar, heat on medium until very hot, but do not boil. Remove from heat and add the gelatin stir until dissolved. Let sit approximately 5-7 minutes, stir and let cool.Add Panna Cotta Mixture to cooled pie crust (mixture will be very runny), refrigerate until firm approximately 4-5 hours or overnight. Top with fresh berries or Berry Sauce. Enjoy!**You are going to have some pie dough left over so check back on Monday for the perfect dessert with left over dough.
*soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water (about 1 cup per leaf), let them sit for about 10 minutes, then gently wring out the excess water before adding to the recipe, the water should be tossed.
BERRY SAUCE
- In a small pot add berries, water and honey, heat on medium until boiling, squish berries gently with a fork, turn heat down and simmer for approximately 5-7 minutes. Let cool and thicken.
Frances Pivovonsky says
I made this recipe yesterday. I’m not much of a baker, so I struggled a little with the dough. It kept falling apart. However, that did not deter me. I pieced the dough into the pie dish and baked as per the instructions. I made the panna cotta and the berry sauce. We had this last night after dinner. I also served with fresh fruit. It was amazing!! I definitely would make this again and already added this recipe to my “keepers.” Thank you for a great recipe that was easy to follow and the presentation, beautiful!
Rosemary says
Hi Frances, thanks so much, so glad you liked it. Oh don’t worry about using your hands to to piece the dough together in the pan, I do it too sometimes. 🙂 Take care!
Linda Timblin says
What are gelatin leaves and where do u buy them? Recipe sounds delicious!
Rosemary says
Hi Linda, you can buy them in the grocery store or you can use 1 tablespoon of gelatin powder. Hope that helps. Take care!
Bre says
Loved this recipe. So delish
Rosemary says
Hi Bre, thanks so much, so glad you liked it. Take care and have a great weekend.
Jennifer Smith says
I did it! It was an amazing Christmas dessert! I wish I could post a picture here to show you. Delicious silky , perfect taste and not overly sweet.
Rosemary says
Hi Jennifer, thanks so much, so glad it was enjoyed! Take care and Happy New Year.
winnie says
what is the size of the pan?
Rosemary says
Hi Winnie, an 8 inch pie pan, the recipe card holds all the information. 🙂