Panna cotta recipe made with only four whole food ingredients for a healthy, low-sugar dessert as is traditional to Italian cuisine.
Dissolve the plain, unflavored gelatin in a tablespoon or two of boiling water.
Pour one cup of cream into a medium sized saucepan. If using vanilla bean, slice lengthwise down the pod, scrape out the seeds and add them to the saucepan (discard the pod).
Stir the water with dissolved gelatin into the cream and vanilla bean mixture in the pan. Turn on low heat and stir until completely dissolved.
Turn off the heat and add the rest of the cream and maple syrup. Blend in vanilla extract if you did not use vanilla bean in the first step.
Pour the panna cotta mixture into a serving dish, cover and chill for an hour or two until set.
Serve when chilled. Top with berries or other fruit if desired. It is simply delicious served plain too.
Keep panna cotta leftovers refrigerated in a glass bowl with a lid. It will keep for about 4-5 days.