Brown Sugar and Espresso Panna Cotta

Where some coffee desserts may whisper softly, this one trills like an opera singer hitting all the high notes. A full half cup of instant espresso powder will do that for you. Commit and you’ll be rewarded with something every shade of coffee fanatic—from the pour-over connoisseur to the blended-drink devotee—will enjoy. Remember that it’s instant espresso powder you seek, not instant coffee, which is altogether weaker and unable to stand up to the copious amounts of dairy in the panna cotta. Nor is it regular espresso powder, which won’t dissolve like you need it to.

The brown sugar glaze is a thing of beauty, sleek and glossy as a glass building. Allow it to cool completely so it’s thick like honey, slowly drip-dripping down when you cut away a scoop of the panna cotta. Gelatin is remarkably easy to use once you know a few ground rules. Always start by mixing it with a cold liquid. Let it hydrate and swell (or bloom, as it’s technically called) for at least 15 minutes before heating to dissolve. Underhydrated gelatin will be stubbornly gritty, never dissolving, and negatively impact the final set. As with all gelatin desserts, this will become firmer the longer it sits, so eat your panna cotta within 24 hours for the most delicate, elegant texture.

This large-format panna cotta is a crowd-pleaser waiting to happen, with zero individual ramekins involved. If espresso after dinner isn’t your thing, try this vanilla panna cotta with balsamic with balsamic berries.