Panna Cotta with a Maple Blueberry Sauce

I'm sort of on a panna cotta kick (you probably can tell from the previous post).  This recipe calls for yogurt which gives this panna cotta a mild tang which I really like.  I topped the panna cotta with a maple blueberry sauce and graham cracker crumbs.  The graham cracker crumb thing came to me while I was getting gas at Hart's gas station (food is on my mind A LOT).  I was thinking that I'd like to add a little crunch to this particular panna cotta.  Because this panna cotta is mildly tangy and was going to be topped with a fruit topping, I was thinking cheesecake and graham cracker crumbs seemed they'd be a perfect fit.  I really loved this panna cotta and my boys thought it was a very delicious afternoon snack. (Preston tried to eat the entire top part (blueberry sauce and graham cracker crumbs) before Noah could get a taste of it all together.)

Panna Cotta with a Maple Blueberry Sauce and Graham Cracker Crumbs

Panna Cotta

       

2 tablespoons water

1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

2 cups whipping cream, divided

1 1/4 cups whole-milk yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

Pour 2 tablespoons of water into a small bowl.  Sprinkle gelatin over water and let soften for 10 to 15 minutes.  Whisk 1 cup cream, yogurt, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend.  Heat remaining 1 cup of cream, sugar and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until sugar dissolves and cream comes to a simmer.  Remove from heat.  Add gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve gelatin.  Mix hot cream mixture into yogurt mixture.  Divide mixture among six 3/4-cup ramekins or small glass containers (like I use).  Refrigerate until cold, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Recipe from Mario Batali plus a pinch of salt

Maple Blueberry Sauce

2 cups blueberries

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, combine blueberries, syrup and a pinch of salt.  Bring to blueberries and syrup to a low boil, stirring occasionally.  Cook until blueberries begin to break down and sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.  At this point, you can leave the sauce as is or you can use an immersion blender to make the sauce smooth (this is what I did).  Pour into a bowl and let cool.

Graham Cracker Crumbs

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (heaping)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small mixing bowl.  Add melted butter and stir until crumbs are evenly coated with butter.  Spread crumbs evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown, stirring crumbs halfway through baking time for even coloring.

To assemble panna cotta:  Remove panna cotta from refrigerator and spoon maple blueberry sauce on top of panna cotta.  Top with graham cracker crumbs and serve.