Buttermilk Panna Cotta is sweet and creamy but also a little tangy. A super quick and easy dessert, this one is topped with blood orange jelly.
If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m semi-addicted to panna cotta. I discovered how incredibly quick and simple it was to make and now I want to make new versions all the time. I’ve turned it into tarts like this Pistachio Rose Panna Cotta Tart (the most popular post on the blog). I’ve turn it into Cheesecakes, like my Mango Panna Cotta Coconut Cheesecake. I even gave it a Christmas vibe with my Boozy Eggnog Panna Cotta. The latest version is this Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Blood Orange Jelly.
The Buttermilk Panna Cotta
Aside from taking next to no time to make (aka 10 minutes – really!), panna cotta is everything you want in a dessert.
- The texture is silky smooth
- It feels totally luxurious
- Panna cotta can be made ahead of time so it’s perfect for dinner parties
Making panna cotta is as simple as heating buttermilk, gelatine and sugar until smooth and then pouring it into serving dishes. That’s it. You don’t even bring it to a simmer so it takes less than 10 minutes. There is about a 2 hour wait time for them to set and tadaa! Done.
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The Blood Orange Jelly
I’m also totally addicted to blood oranges at the moment. It’s nearing the end of Winter here in Australia so the seriously short blood orange season has arrived. The inside is a mixture of orange and dark red and they taste mostly like a normal orange with a hint of berry. So unbelievably delicious.
This again is as simple as heating some blood orange juice, gelatine and a tiny bit of sugar and you have jelly.
The blood orange jelly you see on these little Buttermilk Panna Cotta has not been enhanced in any way. That’s the genuine colour of blood orange juice. I think they are redder at different times during the season but these are the ones I found, right at the start of the season.
Here’s the thing, if you can’t get blood oranges, just make an orange jelly instead. It will taste very similar and your friends will think you toiled for hours to make such a pretty little dessert.
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Options, options, options
You can put your jelly on the top or bottom, it’s totally up to you. You can also make the panna cotta so that you can turn it out onto a plate like I have here or make them in glasses like these Strawberry Panna Cotta or in little glass jars like my Vanilla Chai Panna Cotta. So many options!
These Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Blood Orange Jelly will be on the menu at my Mum and Dads 50th wedding anniversary this Saturday and I can’t wait to see 30 of them all lined up. Too gorgeous. Keep an eye out for my Saturday post which is another little finger food treat that will adorn the anniversary dinner table.
HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?
Rate it below or comment with any questions or thoughts.
Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Blood Orange Jelly
Ingredients
For the Blood Orange Jelly
- 1 cup blood orange juice (from about 5 blood oranges)
- 1 teaspoon powdered gelatine
- 1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar
For the Buttermilk Panna Cotta
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 3 1/4 teaspoons powdered gelatine
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 300 ml (10 fl oz) thickened pouring cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For the Blood Orange Syrup (optional)
- 3/4 cup blood orange juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- For the Blood Orange Jelly
- If you plan on turning the panna cotta out onto your serving plates, start by lightly oiling 6 moulds or ramekins.
- Pour the blood orange juice into a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatine evenly over the top. Let it sit for 2 minutes then turn the heat on very low and stir until the gelatine has dissolved.
- Add the sugar and stir for another minute until dissolved.
- Turn the heat off and pour evenly into your ramekins. Place in the fridge to set for two hours before proceeding.
- For the Buttermilk Panna Cotta
- Pour the buttermilk into a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatine evenly over the top. Let it sit for 5 minutes until wrinkly then turn the heat on very low and stir until the gelatine has dissolved.
- Add the sugar and stir for another minute until dissolved.
- Turn the heat off and add the cream, vanilla and salt. Stir well then pour evenly into your ramekins over the jelly. Place in the fridge to set for around two hours or until set.
- To make the syrup
- Pour the blood orange juice, water and sugar into a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves, then simmer on low for around 20 minutes until thickened. Allow the syrup to cool before serving with the panna cotta.
Notes
- I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (4 teaspoons worldwide)
- If blood oranges aren't available, just use normal oranges
…and I’m the recipe developer, cook, photographer, and author behind Sugar Salt Magic. I’m also mum to 3 amazing fur babies and wife to the most amazing man in the world. Life is good. I love food and creating easy (mainly sweet) recipes that I can share with you. I’d love you to join along in my journey so sit back, relax and have a look around for some yum that you can feed your friends and family with. 
These look so creamy! And I love the layers too, the color is beautiful. Love love love them 🙂
Thanks so much Trang. The flavour is just beautiful too 🙂
What a gorgeous elegant dessert! Perfect for entertaining guests! Pinning! xo
Thank you so much Kim. Great for entertaining as it’s so quick to make but looks fancy 🙂
In the directions is says to add water in the jelly but it doesn’t state how much.
Hi Sheryl, please ignore that. There is no need to add water to the orange juice. I’ll amend the recipe card. Thanks for letting me know.
I’m working on this recipe, and when I went to pour the jelly (I did it on top instead of below because I’m serving them in glasses) it picked up chunks of the panna cotta. Is this because it wasn’t set enough? Should I freeze the panna cotta?
Hi Mae, there could be a couple of reasons for this and one of them is as you’ve mentioned – the panna cotta may not be set enough. The second reason is that the acidity in the jelly can affect the delicate panna cotta layer. It works well when used at the bottom as the jelly is fully set before adding the panna cotta. What I’d suggest is letting the panna cotta set for 2-3 hours before adding the jelly on top. If you’ve already made the jelly, it may set but all you need to do is heat it just a little to melt it again. Hope that helps