Chocolate Panna Cotta

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/4 teaspoons plain gelatin
• 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 (2 ounce) bar DAGOBA lavender chocolate, finely chopped*

Directions

Coat four 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups with flavorless vegetable oil.

Pour 1/2 cup of the cream into a small heatproof bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over it, and let stand for about 10 minutes, or until softened. Place the bowl in a larger bowl of hot water and stir until the gelatin has dissolved.

Meanwhile, bring the remaining 1 1/4 cups cream, the sugar, and salt just to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate, and whisk until smooth.

Add the gelatin mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until combined well. Pour through a fine strainer into a 4-cup glass measure or a bowl with a pour spout. Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins, and let cool to room temperature.

Refrigerate the panna cotta, loosely covered, until set and thoroughly chilled, at least 3 hours, or for up to 1 day.

To serve, dip the ramekins one at a time into a bowl of hot water for about 5 seconds, then run a table knife around the edges of the custard, and invert onto a chilled serving plates.

Note: If you can't find the specific chocolate called for, you can substitute another chocolate with about the same intensity-the higher the percent of cacao solids (labeled as % cacao) in a bar, the more intense the chocolate flavor. Bars labeled simply as bittersweet, semisweet or dark can be used in any recipe calling for any recipe calling for chocolate of less than 70% cacao.