Vanilla Almond Panna Cotta

flirtyfunchick's Note:

My husband and I both adore silky, smooth, and lightly sweetened panna cotta. I got this recipe from Cheryla33 at All Recipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Panna-Cotta/Detail.aspx) but tweaked it just a bit. The original recipe is in the link above . . . I have decided to make mine sugarfree by using Splenda. Cook time does not include refrigeration time.

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 6.0 ramekins

• 1⁄3; cup milk (I use 2% Lactaid since that is all we really keep in the house)
• 1 (¼ ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
• 2 cups heavy cream
• ½ cup evaporated milk or ½ cup skim milk
• ½ cup Splenda granular
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Pour 1/3 cup of milk into a small measuring cup and stir in the gelatin powder. Set aside. LIGHTLY oil a paper napkin and with a very light touch, wipe the inside of a glass pie plate or 6 custard ramekins.
2. In a saucepan, stir together the heavy cream, 1/2 cup evaporated milk (or regular milk) and sugar, and set over medium heat. Bring to a full boil, watching carefully and stirring near constantly, as the cream will quickly rise to the top of the pan.
3. Pour the gelatin and milk mixture into the cream, stirring until completely dissolved. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat, stir in the almond and vanilla extracts and pour into six individual ramekin dishes or pie plate.
5. Cool the ramekins uncovered at room temperature. When cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before serving.
6. NOTES:
7. ~My local Whole Foods sells this with berries mixed in the dish. I suggest putting a few in the bottom of the dish, pouring the mixture over it and letting it set in the fridge for almost an hour and a half. Then put a few more berries on top to "rest" into the panna cotta as opposed to simply on top.
8. ~A few reviews from the allrecipes site mentioned the gelatin mix separating during cooling in the fridge. The best way that I have found to avoid this is after you have stirred in the extracts and before pouring into the dishes, pour the mixture into a glass Pyrex bowl or a heat safe jug. Gently move the dish in a water bath while stirring the mixture with a spoon to cool it completely before pouring into the serving dishes. By cooling the mixture quicker, I believe it gives it less time to separate.
9. ~Experiment with the flavors! Try adding some expresso to the mix and sprinkling it with cinnamon, or adding in some orange/lemon zest to the dish. Enjoy!