How To: Make chocolate panna cotta desserts with agar instead of gelatin

Sometimes it's hard to change habits, but in this case, switching from gelatin to agar isn't hard at all, especially once you taste the creamy delight of this chocolate panna cotta recipe.

Panna cotta itself means "cooked cream" in Italian, which is a combination of cream, milk, sugar and gelatin, but gelatin is derived from animals, whereas agar (sometimes agar-agar) is a plant-based gelatinous substance that acts as a thickening agent in foods. It's perfect for vegetarians.

A fresh vanilla bean and bittersweet chocolate shine through beautifully in this deceptively simple and delicious dessert that only takes twenty minutes!

Serves 4

* 3½ oz (100g) milk
* 3½ oz (100g) heavy cream
* 8 tsp (20g) powdered sugar
* 1 tsp (2g) agar powder (also known as agar-agar)
* ½ pod vanilla bean, sliced lengthwise & scraped
* 3½ oz (100g) bittersweet chocolate pieces
* 2 egg yolks (reserve whites for other recipes)

Garnishes (optional)

* fresh berries
* powdered sugar

Special Equipment

* digital kitchen scale