Cedrón Panna Cotta with Macerated Berries
A silky vanilla-and-cedrón panna cotta topped with strawberries and raspberries macerated in lemon and sugar—elegant, simple, and intensely aromatic.
Panna cotta exists for moments like this. Its blank, creamy canvas takes infusions beautifully, and cedrón's bright lemon perfume comes through with extraordinary clarity when steeped directly into warm cream.
The trick is steeping fresh or dried cedrón in the cream for 20 minutes off the heat, then straining carefully. The cream takes on a barely perceptible greenish tint and a powerful aromatic lift—you should be able to smell the lemon verbena before you taste it.
Gelatin is the only thickener; the panna cotta should be just barely set, with the gentlest jiggle when you tip the ramekin. Anything firmer becomes rubbery rather than silky.
Macerated strawberries and raspberries finish the dish. Toss the berries with a spoon of sugar and a squeeze of lemon, leave them 30 minutes, and they'll release a glossy syrup that pools beautifully around the unmolded panna cotta. It's the perfect light, fragrant ending to a summer meal.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp fresh cedrón leaves (or 2 tbsp dried)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp powdered gelatin
- 3 tbsp cold water
- Pinch of salt
- 200g strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 150g raspberries
- 2 tbsp sugar (for berries)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- Fresh cedrón sprigs, for garnish
How to make it
- 1In a saucepan, combine cream, milk, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. Heat over medium until small bubbles form at the edges (do not boil). Remove from heat, add cedrón leaves and vanilla, cover, and steep 20 minutes.
- 2Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a small bowl. Let bloom 5 minutes—it should look like wet sand.
- 3Strain the cream mixture through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing the cedrón leaves to extract all flavor. Discard leaves.
- 4Gently rewarm the cream over low heat (don't simmer). Add the bloomed gelatin and whisk until fully dissolved.
- 5Pour into 4–6 small ramekins or glasses. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 4 hours until just set.
- 6Make berries: gently toss strawberries and raspberries with 2 tbsp sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Let sit 30 minutes. To serve, unmold panna cotta (or leave in glasses) and spoon macerated berries with their syrup on top. Garnish with cedrón sprigs.
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