Recipe: panna cotta & homemade vanilla extract.

I cannot believe I'm just getting around to posting this delicious recipe we had for the first time on our Italy trip a few months back.  It tastes like a creamy, smooth pudding.  It's SO good!

G. and I loved it, and I was super happy when he decided to whip up a batch of panna cotta himself back here.  Here's the recipe he used, minus the berries and with a chocolate ganache we invented ourselves.  This is not a healthy one, folks!  But well worth the indulgence!


 For the ganache:

In a double boiler, melt dark chocolate chips, a dash of vanilla extract, 1/4 cup of heavy cream, and a teaspoon of instant coffee powder dissolved in a little water.  (Remember at the beginning of the year when I decided to make my own vanilla extract?  Well, it's done, and it's awesome!!!  This was the first time we used it:))