Panna Cotta with Peaches

Oh so easy, oh so satisfying. I have a bit of a thing with the cloying scent and flavor of almond extract, so I substituted vanilla extract and it was lovely, creamy, and the perfect base for any seasonal fruit or favorite topping. As there was nary a ripe peach in sight, I used diced ripe mangoes. When I get home to South Carolina, I’ll try it as written with peaches, and maybe raspberries. Oh, and strawberries. And blueberries. You get the picture.

This panna cotta with peaches recipe had the most luscious of textures. The consistency reminded me of the best silken tofu I’ve ever had—so smooth, like putting velvet on your tongue. I think you really need to think about the size of peaches you choose for this panna cotta recipe. I used 3 large peaches (each about the size of a fist) that was entirely too much for 4 little bowls of panna cotta. If your peaches are small, yeah, 3 will work great.

Next time I’d lessen the amount of lemon thyme to 1 tablespoon lightly packed leaves. Also, while peeling the peaches is optional, I’d highly recommend removing the skins, as they don’t look pretty and the added texture isn’t a good thing.

This was my first time making panna cotta, and it certainly won’t be the last. I’ve long been intimidated by the idea that getting the proper consistency is difficult, but this recipe nailed it. I used a cup of plain 2% Greek yogurt, and it worked perfectly. I was certain when I read the recipe that the amount of thyme called for was too much for such a small amount of fruit, but don’t skimp! When everything comes together, the thyme offers a perfectly subtle, herby note to the sweetness of the peaches and the tart yogurt. I subbed vanilla extract for the almond extract simply because I’m not a fan of the latter, and the vanilla complemented the honey, yogurt, and peaches wonderfully.

I confess that I couldn’t wait the full 8 hours before trying my first panna cotta and nabbed one at the 4-hour mark. It was smooth and creamy and definitely not set, but it was still delicious. The remaining panna cotta that I allowed to set overnight were perfect. The amount of gelatin called for results in a panna cotta that is just set but still custardy and lacks any of the dreaded rubberiness I’ve experienced in less-than-stellar panna cottas of my past.

I wasn’t in any hurry to unmold the rest of these babies because I wanted to get to the eating. I suspect that the very thing I liked about them–their overall softness and creaminess–would have made for some difficulties unmolding. I suggest using pretty bowls and digging right in.

This panna cotta with peaches recipe is a heavenly dessert with only 15 minutes of work? Believe it. Granted, the panna cotta takes at least 8 hours to set, so keep that in mind when making it, but it’s an absolutely lovely summer treat without a lot of time spent at the stove. The honey and almond work beautifully with the peaches and the aromatic lemon thyme, but the panna cotta really would be fantastic with a variety of other fruits–and is quite good on its own.

This recipe is definitely a keeper and will be made time and again. I ended up using non-fat Greek yogurt, and the result was really creamy and tangy. It set up perfectly and was a breeze to make. I used almond extract because I love almond. I probably could have even added just a touch more. The peaches I used were slightly less ripe than I would have liked, but the macerating solved that issue in a hurry.

I always thought panna cotta was much harder to make than this. I was wrong. This was easy to put together—the hardest part was waiting for it to chill before we could eat it. I used vanilla bean paste instead of almond extract because we don’t care for the flavor combination of peaches and almonds. The vanilla bean paste gave it the added bonus of the little black flecks from the bean.

I used fresh lemon thyme from our garden, and I believe I can find more uses for the peach mixture besides this recipe. It was a very nice flavor combination that didn’t overpower the panna cotta but gave it just the right amount of flavor. Everyone agreed that there did need to be a little pinch of salt added to the fresh peaches, and that made the flavors stand out so much better.

The panna cotta with peaches recipe was a delightful, refreshing, easy, and light dessert to have on a hot summer day. This was an unctuous, creamy, and rich dessert that had just the right amount of sweetness. I also enjoyed that it was firm yet still creamy.

I made the panna cotta the night before to let everything set up and chill properly. I added vanilla instead of almond extract. Very refreshing to have a dessert that’s only lightly enhanced by sugar as opposed to being overpowered by it. My family was not fond of the herbiness of the lemon thyme with the peaches, but I think this is going to be a preferred taste or not. Perhaps a more traditional squeeze of lemon will be the next addition when I make this next time.

I grew up on boxed cook-n-serve pudding, and to this day it holds a sweet spot in my heart. But now, having made and tasted this panna cotta with peaches, the box will cease to exist for me. Who knew it was this easy to make panna cotta? My grocer had baskets and baskets of peaches but nary a ripe one, so I turned to the next best thing– nectarines. I had to use regular old thyme leaves here, and it was wonderful. Where does one find lemon thyme, anyway, and what’s the difference?

I find almond extract to be extremely aggressive tasting so I opted for vanilla. I was glad I did–it brought a subtle sweetness while letting the tang of the yogurt and the sweetness of the nectarines come through. I couldn’t wait the full 8-hour resting time, as it was calling my name from the minute I placed it on the rack of the refrigerator. Instead, I succumbed after 4 hours then quickly fell in love with the slightly firm yet creamy texture that resembled the boxed pudding of my childhood rather than a wiggly-jiggly jello. So easy, So satisfying.