Chocolate.
Panna.
Cotta.
Seriously folks. Does this one need explanation?
Panna cotta (meaning cooked cream) is a classic Italian dessert, likely coming from Northern Italy where they love….say it with me now….butter….and….cream. The cream is simmered with sugar and then set with enough gelatin so the cream holds a mould shape, yet still has the silken creamy texture of, well…cream. You can find this dessert in North America, and I have seen it many times in Italy, but usually with the same fatal flaw….served with fruit. I may be alone here, but for the most part I don’t choose fruit with my desserts. Well, except for homemade fresh fruit pies. And strawberry shortcake. And tarte tatin. Oh! And raspberry gelato. OK….so maybe fruit and dessert go well together – it’s just that USUALLY when you see panna cotta it’s topped with fruit. But not here. Not in Italy. No sir. That would be too virtuous. Here at La Taverna Di Via Stella in the heart of Verona, after the salumi platter served with a small dollop of steaming polenta topped with great whopping chunks of starting-to-melt Gorgonzola, after the bigoli (rustic house made spaghetti) with braised rabbit and wild mushrooms, after the salad drizzled simply with fruity extra virgin olive oil from Lake Garda, then you get Panna Cotta smothered in dark chocolate sauce.
Never.
Going.
Home.
