Elderflower Panna Cotta with a Wild Blackberry Gelee

Panno Cotta means 'cooked cream' in Italian.  But it's so much more than that....creamy, rich, decadent.  And so easy to make.  Well, not as easy as it used to be actually.  It's one of those dishes that as food safety got better, it got harder to make.

Panna Cotta was originally made with cream fresh from someone's cow.  It's difficult to find fresh, unpasteurized cream any more due to (cough-cough) health concerns.

If you don't have access to a cow or it's cream, I've included the modernized recipe to make it easier.  Even though you have to do a few extra steps to make it's creamy goodness, it's still easy and worth every minute.

Start by preparing your 3 serving dishes.  Panna Cotta can be served in just about any sort of a bowl that you like, I used martini glasses just to show off the layers.  (Seriously.  I wouldn't serve them to my family like this.   I have big dogs and dinner time can be precarious.  I once dropped a coconut cream pie to the floor.  There is no 5 second rule in this house.  All 4 dogs were on it in a heartbeat  scarfing and growling and slobbering.  For weeks after they skulked about the table, hoping another pie would miraculously appear on the floor.  Alas.  It hasn't.  However, say the dogs, eternal vigilance is the price of a pie.)
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
2 tablesppons sugar
3 tablespoons Elderflower cordial
1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries
1 to 2 envelopes powdered gelatin
Place a 1/4 cup cream in a bowl and sprinkle with 1 and a half teaspoons of powdered gelatin.  Let gelatin soften for 5 or 10 minutes.
Place the other 1.5 cups of cream in a saucepan.  Whisk in  2 tablespoons of sugar and 3 tablespoons of elderflower cordial.  Place on stove and bring to a simmer.  Continue to whisk while adding gelatin mixture.  When the cream begins to simmer again, remove from heat and divide evenly into your serving bowls, martini glasses, whatever.
Place in the refrigerator to let it firm up, while preparing the second layer.
Measure 1/4 cup of water into a bowl and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of gelatin over it.  (You can 'fudge on the amount of gelatin that you use here.  I like it a little softer, so I use less gelatin.  You may like it a little harder.  It's totally up to you.) Let the gelatin soften for 5 or 10 minutes.  Place 3/4 cup of water in a saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of sugar and a 1/2 cup berries.  Add the gelatin mixture, stirring constantly and let the mixture come to a simmer.  Remove from heat.  Pour the berry mix into a heatproof liquid measuring cup and let it sit until it comes to room temperature.  This step important, because if the mixture is too hot, it will melt the layer of panna cotta underneath and you'll end up with a muddy mess.

When the berry mixture is cooled to room temperature, carefully pour in equal amounts over the panna cotta layers.  Then refrigerate for an hour for gelatin to set.