Chocolate Panna Cotta With Espresso Cream

Start first with the chocolate layer. Place the gelatin in a small bowl with the milk and stir to soften the gelatin. In a small saucepan, heat the cream with two tablespoons of sugar until simmering. Break up the chocolate and stir until melted into the cream. Whisk the softened gelatin and milk into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Pour this chocolate layer into four (4-ounce) glass tumblers and refrigerate until firm.

For the cappuccino layer, soften the gelatin once again in the milk. In a saucepan, add the cream, half the sugar, and 2 teaspoons of the coffee and heat until simmering. Taste, and add additional coffee powder or sugar as needed. Remove from the heat and mix in the softened gelatin. Use a hand mixer or immersion blender to beat the coffee mixture until it is very foamy. Pour evenly over the top of the chocolate layer in each of the tumblers, spooning on the foam at the bottom of the pot on top to resemble a cappuccino drink. Return to the refrigerator and cool until firm.

To serve, use a star tip on a piping bag, or a small spoon to add a dollop of the whipped cream to each panna cotta and then sprinkle with some shaved chocolate on top. Serve immediately.

Note: I prepared the dessert in clear glass tumblers so you could appreciate the separate layers, and used a simple twist of sweetened whip cream and a sprinkle of grated dark chocolate to serve. I used a bitter dark chocolate, but you could use whatever chocolate you prefer; just adjust the sugar as needed as you do not want it overly sweet. For the espresso, I used an entire single serving of Starbuck’s new instant Italian espresso roast but you could use any instant coffee you have on hand. Just add 1 teaspoon at a time until you get a light coffee flavor, as you do not want the coffee flavor to overpower the chocolate.