Pannacotta

This creamy Italian dessert is one of my mother's best, and my boyfriend's favorite when we have dinner at my parents'. It's creamy like a pudding, but also fresh and less rich - it won't leave you feeling bloated. The perfect dessert, in other words.

Ingredients (serves 8):

• 800ml cream
• 200g sugar
• 300ml milk
• 4 sheets of gelatin
• 2 vanilla pods
• something fruity and sweet to serve on top, like warm cherries, raspberry coulis, ...

Cut open the vanilla pods and scrape out the seeds. Boil the cream with the sugar, the vanilla seeds and the pods. Stir well. On a moderate fire, let boil for 15 minutes while stirring regularly. Take out the vanilla pods.

Soak the gelatin in cold water. Boil the milk, take it off the heat and dissolve the squeezed gelatin in it. Stir in the boiled cream.

Divide the mixture over individual bowls and let cool in the fridge for at least two hours. Serve with coulis, warm cherries, or whatever fruity topping takes your fancy. For a Brazilian twist, serve with Oxfam's guave and passion fruit jam.