One of my easiest and lightest dessert recipes is Limoncello Panna Cotta, which I serve with Limoncello-macerated blueberries. Panna cotta simply means cooked cream in Italian. It is an eggless custard that comes together with a small amount of gelatin. For a history of panna cotta, click here.

Another Italian dessert of mine: Chocolate Almond Semifreddo

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Split the top of a vanilla bean lengthwise, and open it to allow the seeds to be exposed.

In a small pan, stir together the milk, the grated lemon zest, the opened vanilla bean, and 3⁄4 cup of the heavy cream. Simmer gently over low heat for 10 minutes.

Steep with zest and vanilla.

Remove the mixture from the heat, and evenly spread the gelatin over it. Let this mixture rest for about 2 minutes.

Sprinkle gelatin.

Stir the mixture until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes, then pour it into a bowl, and place it in the refrigerator. Stir the mixture occasionally for about 15-25 minutes until it begins to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow the mixture to set.

In the meantime, in another small bowl sift the confectioners’ sugar into the remaining 3⁄4 cup of heavy cream.

Sift in powdered sugar.

Add 2 tablespoons of Limoncello liqueur. Whisk the mixture until it is very smooth.

Add the Limoncello.

Remove the gelatin mixture from the refrigerator, and whisk in the Limoncello-cream mixture. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a large measuring cup.

Strain out the zest and vanilla bean.

Pour the Limoncello Panna Cotta into four 1/2-cup dessert glasses or ramekins. Cover each with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight until set.

Pour into dessert glasses.

To the washed blueberries, add the 2 remaining tablespoons of Limoncello and about 1⁄3 cup of granulated sugar, depending on the tartness of the berries. Stir thoroughly until the sugar is dissolved, taste for sweetness, and refrigerate until serving time.

To serve, use a slotted spoon to place a layer of drained blueberries over the Limoncello Panna Cotta.

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