Vanilla panna cotta with bourbon figs
This easy vanilla panna cotta with bourbon-poached figs will make you swoon. Sweetened milk and cream, steeped with vanilla beans for a ton of delicious vanilla flavor is topped with figs poached in bourbon, sugar, orange peel, and cardamom.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
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Vanilla panna cotta with bourbon poached figs
Panna cotta is simply cooked cream and milk with sugar, mixed with gelatin and cooled until set. It is a very straight-forward, and not overly complicated dessert. I wanted to keep the flavor in the panna cotta simple as the figs and syrup were going to be packed with flavor, and slightly tipsy.
This dessert comes together in about 30 minutes and then it goes into the fridge to set up and you are done. In the warm weather months, swap out figs for berries or stone fruit. If you don’t want the alcohol in the dessert, use juice or simple syrup as your poaching liquid.
What you need to know
Panna cotta is usually made with heavy cream, but I wanted to lighten it up a bit. I swapped the heavy cream out for a combination of whole milk and half and half. This vanilla panna cotta is light and delicious, but with a few less calories.
This recipe is not at all difficult, in fact, it’s pretty easy. However, it does require planning ahead. The panna cotta with vanilla bean needs to be chilled for at least 4 hours, so this something you can do ahead of time.
I’ve portioned the desserts into roughly 6 ounces each, but you can make them into slightly smaller (4 ounce) portions, if you want a daintier dessert.
Learn from my oversight – I forgot to chill my mixture down in an ice bath before pouring the cream mixture into my dessert glasses. A lot of the vanilla bean settled to the bottom. It’s not a major deal, but I know better. The vanilla should be evenly distributed throughout the panna cotta.
Ingredients
- Half & half – By swapping out heavy cream for half and half, the fat content goes from roughly 36% to about 12%.
- Whole milk – Using whole milk keeps this panna cotta light and fresh-tasting.
- Vanilla – You can use vanilla beans, or vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract. Whatever you have available to you.
- Figs – I used brown turkey figs, but black mission figs are also a great option. The figs are poached in bourbon, sugar, cardamom, and orange peel.
- Gelatin – This is what makes the panna cotta set.
How to make vanilla panna cotta
Here’s a quick summary of how to make vanilla panna cotta. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Cook – Combine the milk, half and half, sugar and vanilla bean in a pot. Bring to a simmer. Steep the vanilla beat off the heat. Bloom the gelatin in a small bowl.
- Simmer – Bring the mixture to a simmer once again, then add gelatin.
- Steep – Poach the figs and let them steep in the mixture.
- Pour – Transfer the mixture to your glasses and let it cool before refrigerating.
How to poach figs
This fig panna cotta is topped with bourbon-poached figs, and the syrup is reduced until thickened, so it floats on top of the vanilla panna cotta.
Figs are soft, and don’t require a long cooking time. Make sure you place them in a small pot, so they are snug. Pour in your liquids, then add the sugar, spices and orange zest.
Simmer for 5 minutes, then let them cool in the pot. They will take on even more flavor as they cool.
Here are a few more fig recipes we love: Savory fig tarts with goat cheese / Fig jam / Fig puff pastry tarts
Vanilla panna cotta FAQ’s
The vanilla panna cotta is at it’s best within 3 days. But it will last, unadorned with the figs and syrup, about a week in the fridge. Store it wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and away from any strong-smelling foods like garlic.
You can make panna cotta up to 2 days ahead of time. I usually make it the day before I want to serve it so it has time to set up properly.
Variations and substitutions
- Stone fruit – Make this vanilla panna cotta topped with bourbon peaches or plums in the warm weather months.
- Alcohol-free – Swap out the bourbon for apple juice to omit alcohol from the poaching liquid.
Helpful tools and equipment
- A one quart saucepan is the perfect size for poaching the figs.
- To make the panna cotta, a 2 quart saucepan is a good size.
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Vanilla panna cotta with bourbon-poached figs
Ingredients
Panna Cotta
- 2 ¼ tsp. unflavored gelatin 1 envelope / .25 oz. / 7g
- 2 tbsp. water
- 2 cups half and half 500 ml
- 2 cups whole milk 500 ml
- ½ cup sugar 100g
- 1 vanilla bean Split the bean and scrape seeds into milk mixture. Or use 1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste or extract.
- 1 pinch sea salt
Bourbon Poaching Liquid
- ¾ cup bourbon
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar 50g
- 1 orange peel the zest off in strips with a vegetable peeler
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 6 figs
Instructions
Make Panna Cotta
- Set up an ice bath in a large bowl – big enough to accomodate the bottom of your pot.
- In a medium saucepan bring half and half, milk, sugar and vanilla bean just to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, cover and let it steep for 20 minutes.
- In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand 5 minutes to soften.
- Remove the lid from the pot and bring the milk mixture to a simmer once again, over medium high heat. Remove from heat, then add the bloomed gelatin, and stir until dissolved. Remove the vanilla bean and discard, or save for another use.
- Dip the pot halfway into the ice bath (DO NOT LET WATER INTO THE POT), and stir continuously for about 5 – 8 minutes, until the panna cotta has cooled a bit. The mixture may start to thicken a little, this will help to distribute the vanilla bean throughout the mixture, and give it a head start to setting up.
- Then, evenly divide among 6 glasses or ramekins and cool to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 4 hours or until set. *If making ahead, cover with plastic wrap.
Poach Figs
- Set figs inside of a small pot so they are snug. Add bourbon, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, and cardamom pods. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let figs cool in the liquid to room temp.
- Remove figs and set aside. Once cooled, cut in quarters.
- Over moderately high heat, reduce liquid until thick and syrupy. It should coat the back of the spoon with a thick layer. Cool to room temperature.
- Pour cooled syrup on top of set panna cotta and top with figs.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally published 8/19/13, most recent update 9/11/24.