BACK TO ALL RECIPES

Noyaux Panna Cotta with Cherry Sauce

Photo: Holly Haines

BY The Editors

PUBLISHED August 10, 2023

I made Mark's panna cotta recipe with the noyaux, omitting the vanilla and infusing the heavy cream for 10 minutes before discarding the kernels and continuing on with the recipe. The flavor is sweet almond at first, followed by a subtle bitter note that noyaux is known for. I used the pitted fresh cherries to make the raw version of Mark's Fruit Sauce: Recipes for both below. — Holly Haines

 

The following may contain affiliate links for which we earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting us in this way!
Print

Noyaux Panna Cotta with Cherry Sauce

Prevent your screen from going dark

Makes 4 to 6 servings 1x

Time About 30 minutes, plus time to chill

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • Good-quality vegetable oil for greasing
  • 3 cups heavy cream or 1 1/2 cups heavy cream and 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
  • Approximately 1 tablespoon (about 30-40) cherry pit kernels (noyaux); see note, below
  • 1 1/4-ounce envelope (about 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
  • 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • Cherry fruit sauce

Instructions

  1. Use a towel and a bit of oil to very lightly grease the insides of 4 large or 6 small custard cups.

  2. In a large saucepan, combine 2 cups cream and noyaux. Heat until steaming and just starting to bubble around the edges of the pan, 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and steep 10 minutes. Strain out the noyaux and discard; return the cream to the saucepan.

  3. Put remaining 1 cup of the cream in a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over it; let sit for 5 minutes to soften. Put the saucepan over low heat and whisk until the gelatin dissolves completely, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour gelatin mixture into the saucepan with the noyaux cream and stir well to combine. Let the panna cotta cool for a few minutes.

  4. Pour the panna cotta into the custard cups. Chill until set, at least 4 hours (or up to a day). Serve in the cups with cherry sauce; or run a thin knife along the sides to loosen the panna cotta, dip the cups in hot water for about 10 seconds each, then invert onto plates and serve with cherry fruit sauce.

To note: Noyaux, the kernel found in the center of stone fruit pits, contains amygdalin, which, when ingested raw, can convert into cyanide inside the body. To deactivate the amygdalin, roast the pits in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes — this disables the cyanide-causing enzyme and also makes cracking them open easier. Use a nutcracker or a hammer to crack open the pits and extract the noyaux. In an abundance of caution, after cracking the pits and extracting the noyaux, cook again at 250°F for 5 minutes.

— Recipe adapted by Holly Haines from How to Cook Everything: Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition

Log in, or become a member today.

Join in: enjoy 7 days free, plus 40% off your first year with access to 1,000+ highly vetted recipes from the How To Cook Everything series and beyond, essays from Mark, and original pieces from our contributors.

Join annually and save 40%
Log in to your account

GetBetterFasterHealthierSmarterTastier

in the Kitchen

Through our (more than a thousand, and growing) highly vetted recipes from the How to Cook Everything series, original food essays and reporting, thoughtful podcast conversations and introductions to new and responsible food products, we aim to showcase what’s possible, from farm to fork, and power a growing movement that encourages people to think about food not as a commodity, but as central to our health and happiness.

Start your free trial

We hope you join us on this journey. We’d love to have you as a part of the Bittman community. As a member, you'll have access to:

  • New recipes every week
  • 1000s of recipes from How to Cook Everything and beyond
  • First access to in-person events with Mark and Kate
  • Exclusive discounts from our favorite brands
  • Q&As with Mark and the team

 

Subscribe to our free newsletter

Join over 105,000 passionate individuals who receive our weekly emails. It’s 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime. Plus, we’ll email you a sampling of what premium members receive on a weekly basis.