0.5 cup chocolate-covered espresso beans for garnish
2 tablespoons plus light
4 sheets gelatin powder
0.3 cup heavy cream
3 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons espresso powder instant
4 ounces semi chocolate chips
0.8 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter unsalted
0.5 vanilla pod
Equipment
bowl
frying pan
sauce pan
ladle
oven
knife
whisk
ramekin
Directions
FOR THE PANNA COTTA
In a small bowl of cool water, submerge the gelatin sheets to soften. They will go from stiff to soft, kind of like the texture of a giant contact lens. Feel one-it's SO cool!
In a small saucepan, combine the cream, sugar, and espresso powder. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise down one side, open it up, and scrape out the seeds with a paring knife.
Add the seeds and the hull to the pan.
Whisk to combine everything.
Bring the cream mixture to a boil and then immediately turn off the heat.
Remove the softened gelatin sheets from the water and squeeze out the excess water.
Add the gelatin sheets to the pan and whisk to combine.
Immediately ladle the cream mixture into four 6-ounce ramekins and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or
overnight.
FOR THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE
Fill a small saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring it to a boil (BTB).
In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the chocolate chips, heavy cream, butter and corn syrup. place the bowl on top of the pan of water (this is a double-boiler setup). Reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir until the chocolate has melted and all the ingredients are combined.
Remove and use immediately or store in a warm place until ready to use.
TO UNMOLD THE PANNA COTTA
Fill a small saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Run a paring knife around the outside edge of the panna cotta to loosen it. Set each ramekin in the saucepan for 10 seconds.
Place a small serving plate on top of each ramekin and flip it over to unmold the panna cotta. If it doesn't release, put the ramekin in the water for a few seconds more and try again.
To serve, ladle a couple tablespoons of the chocolate sauce around the panna cotta and sprinkle with a few chocolate-covered espresso beans.
