Treat your guests to a three-layered chocolate panna cotta this holiday season. They will love it.

Do you remember the first time you tired a panna cotta? I certainly do, and it is no exaggeration saying it has been a revelation. Melt-in-the-mouth creamy, with the delicate flavour of the cream immediately evident and topped with a rich strawberry compote, it was so delicious I did order it for dessert every day for the rest of that particular trip to Italy.

The classic Italian panna cotta is made of just three ingredients: heavy cream, sugar, and gelatin. Meanwhile, adding vanilla bean seeds is optional but a much-favoured tweak to the classic recipe. Which is usually served with a fruit sauce or compote.

What I perhaps love most about this dessert, it is one of the most versatile you can imagine. Add fruit juice or puree directly to the cream-sugar mix, or perhaps a generous splash of espresso, limoncello or eggnog, or different spices. You can even turn your panna cotta into a delicious hearty appetizer adding vegetable or mushroom puree, basil pesto, and, well your imagination is the limit.

My favourite tweak to enhance the classic panna cotta is chocolate. It is perhaps the quickest and easiest way to add a new, delicious flavour profile.

So, today let me share this highly indulgent tri-colour chocolate panna cotta recipe.

How to make a tri-colour chocolate panna cotta

This panna cotta made with three different chocolates is the perfect showstopper on your dinner table. It’s perfect for any occasion, a festive celebration like Christmas, your birthday, or to turn any weekend dinner into a special occasion.

It’s so rich and flavourful, you do not need any toppings. However, there is no stopping you to top with a raspberry puree or a cranberry compote.

To create the three layers, you need to prepare the white, caramel, and dark chocolate panna cottas separately.

Serves 6-8

750 ml heavy cream
150 ml full-fat milk
150 g sugar
? vanilla bean
9 sheets gelatin
100 g white chocolate
100 g caramel chocolate or 3-4 tablespoons caramel cream
100 g dark chocolate

Soak 3 sheets gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes.

For the white chocolate panna cotta, add 250 ml heavy cream, 50 ml milk, 50 g sugar and the vanilla bean to a medium sized saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat, add the white chocolate and let simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly to make sure the chocolate dissolves completely.

Wring out the gelatin, add to the hot mixture and let dissolve completely.

Set aside to let cool for about 10 minutes, then distribute over 6-8 small bowls filling each of the bowls by about one-third.

Refrigerate for around two hours to let solidify sufficiently before adding the next layer of panna cotta.

Prepare the caramel panna cotta in the same way, albeit without the vanilla bean and substituting the white chocolate with a caramel-flavoured chocolate or alternatively a caramel sauce.

Let cool for about 10 minutes, then distribute over the layer of white chocolate panna cotta and refrigerate for another two hours.

Finally, prepare the dark chocolate panna cotta again in the same way and distribute over the other two layers of panna cotta.

Refrigerate for another four hours or better overnight.

To release the panna cotta from the bowls, fill a small bowl with hot water. Run a thin knife carefully around the sides of the bowl to release the edge. Dip in bowl containing the panna cotta up to the rim and hold for around 5 seconds. Invert the bowl over a plate and shake vigorously to let the panna cotta slide out.

Garnish with chocolate shavings.