Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Blueberry Coulis

Well now doesn’t that just sound fancy—Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Blueberry Coulis. We’re stepping it up and putting on our fancy pants over here at The Busty Baker! Sort of..

Until very (very) recently, I had no idea what panna cotta really was. I’d heard of it. I’d seen it around the interwebs. But it just sounded very classy and probably way too complicated to make. So I paid no attention to it, because, hello—I’m lazy. I don’t want to work harder than I have to. (Let's just call it low-key instead of lazy, shall we?) But you want to know a secret? Panna cotta is totally simple. And totally delicious.

Think of it as pudding meets Jello, all dressed up in pearls and a pretty dress. This isn't your lunchbox pudding cup. Smooth and creamy, speckled with vanilla bean seeds, and served up in a fancy glass, it’s an elegant dessert at the end of a meal. And the Blueberry Coulis? Dark and dramatic on top of pure white, it’s the perfect accent to the panna cotta. And no one has to know coulis (pronounced coo-lee) is just a fancy name for blueberry sauce.

I mean really, what sounds more classy and impressive: Panna Cotta with Coulis? Or Vanilla Pudding with Blueberry Sauce? I think we all know which one is more likely to wow and woo.

Both the panna cotta and the coulis can be made ahead of time, so you have plenty of time to pretty yourself up for your Valentine’s date night and enjoy a fabulous dinner, followed by a divine (and totally stress free) dessert!

Wild Blueberry and Gouda Cupcakes (Taste of Pure Imagination)

My mother, like so many other moms, always told me, “Never take candy from strangers.” I know it was for my own safety, so I didn’t get kidnapped or anything, but I hate to break it to you Mom—I didn’t listen. And not to throw salt in an open wound, but not only did I take candy from a stranger, I did it in a tattoo shop, of all places. In my own defense, I was merely there for moral support, not for myself (I’m terrified of needles, a big baby when it comes to pain, and too indecisive to have something done to me at 20 that I’ll have to still look at when I’m 90). And the man who gave it to me looked nice enough, plus—it was chocolate. I can’t turn down chocolate, no matter who it’s from! Especially when it’s the best chocolate I’ve ever had. According to the stranger, the chocolate covered apricot I was enjoying came from the “adorable little woman” from the chocolate place in the North Market. It’s been about 7 years now since I went against my mom’s advice, and for the past 7 years I’ve been going to that adorable little woman, whom we now affectionately call YiaYia, the Greek word for Grandmother, at Pure Imagination Chocolatier, for all my chocolate indulgences.