good god.

seriously

i had always assumed panna cotta was difficult to make. perhaps because of all the top chef i've watched, where every contestant inevitably ruins dessert. really, why haven't they learned to come prepared by now? it's the same every season, you'd think SOMEONE would have figured out that they should learn at least a couple of recipes.

but i digress....we chose to make this little jem after seeing it i last month's bon appetit. oh man it was delicious, and very easy to make. honestly the hardest part was finding the perfect pan or ramekin to let them set up in. i chose a giant muffin pan, and it worked like a dream.

the dulce de leche was also easy to make, time consuming, yes, but still easy. be sure to keep a good eye on it though, it can burn quite easily, as i almost learned.... if you over cook it a hair too long, you can fix it up with a little extra heavy cream... but let's hope it doesn't come to that.

we paired this with southern tier's creme brulee stout, which really does taste like creme brulee btw, and it went beautifully.

corn panna cotta with dulce de leche

serves 6

1 cup of whole milk

1/3 cup sugar

2 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut off and reserved, cobs cut into 4 pieces each

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

3 tablespoons water

2 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup purchased dulce de leche or caramel sauce

Bring milk and sugar to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add corn kernels. Simmer until corn is tender, about 5 minutes. Strain milk into large saucepan; add 2 cups cream, coarse salt, and corn cobs. Bring to simmer. Cover; remove from heat. Steep 30 minutes. Transfer corn to small bowl. Cover; chill.

Meanwhile, place 3 tablespoons water in small cup. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, at least 15 minutes.

Remove cobs from cream mixture; discard cobs. Bring cream mixture to simmer. Remove from heat. Add softened gelatin; stir to dissolve. Divide cream mixture among six 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Whisk dulce de leche and 3 tablespoons cream in small bowl to blend. Spoon some sauce over each panna cotta. Sprinkle a few corn kernels over each dessert (reserve remaining corn for another use) and serve.

for a dulche de leche recipe check out alton brown's.