Panna Cotta with Cherry Compote

I like the experience of seeing and living four distinct seasons, each with its own special and unique beauty. I like to enjoy the green rebirth of spring, tulips making room for flowers on the next season. In summer, I like to listen the intense summer rains and  have picnics in the park on sunny days. After that, I feel gifted to see the colours changing for welcoming the autumn, all the comforting food that the season calls pairing with a glass of wine to relax after a long day. And the winter, it also brought its own beauty. The white landscapes, the days of blue sky contrasting with the snow that fell on previous day, trees covered with what you can almost say it was a cotton storm. In short ... it's impossible not to be dazzled by what nature offers us throughout the year.

But better than all this, is be able to enjoy all that each season brings to our table, each of the gives us the best that nature can offer and I am fascinated by what I can do with each food at its peak.
We was in summer when I made this Panna Cotta, and the scent of freshly picked cherries appeared throughout the city, from large supermarkets to épiceries of each quartier. With different colours and shapes, juicy, and sweet. They are my favorites!

The panna cotta was actually just an excuse to use this compote. Despite being one of my favorite desserts (Reason? Easy to prepare and delicious!), it had not appeared in my kitchen since I moved here in Québec. But it's never too late, isn't it? This panna cotta in particular was the best I've ever done! Very creamy and with the right amount of sugar, which is ideal to pair with those cherries that already had all the sweetness you will need ... A hundred points to the panna cotta and a trophy for the jam! Surely a dessert that will appear more often here.

Bon appétit et bonne fin de semaine!

Panna Cotta Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cherry Compote Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Makes 6 servings

Panna Cotta3 gelatin sheets
2 cups half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 vanilla paste

Cherry Compote2 cups pitted fresh cherries
2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon cassis liqueur

1. Panna Cotta: Soften the gelatin sheets 500ml of cold water for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Heat the heavy cream, half and half, vanilla paste and sugar in a saucepan. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat
3. Lightly oil 6 custard cups with a neutral-tasting oil.
4. Wring the gelatins sheets out the cold water and stir them into the warm Panna Cotta mixture until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
5. Divide the Panna Cotta mixture into the prepared cups, then chill them until firm, which will take at least two hours but I let them stand at least four hours.
6. Cherry compote: Bring the cherries and sugar to a boil in a large heavy saucepan; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until cherries are softened and start to release juices, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cherries to a medium heatproof bowl. Simmer juices until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 15–20 minutes, remove from heat and add the cassis liqueur. Pour reduced syrup over cherries. Serve with the panna cotta.