Panna cotta is a dessert that shows up on restaurant menus a lot more than it does in home kitchens, but the simple dish is one that is very easy to make at home. Panna cotta, or “cooked cream” in Italian, is a dessert that consists of a lightly sweetened cream mixture that is set with a small amount of gelatin. The gelatin allows the cream to thicken without needing to use eggs or starches, like many other types of custard do. Only a very small amount of gelatin is used, just enough to hold the cream together without giving the dish a tough or jello-like texture. The result is a dessert that has an exceptionally light and silky mouthfeel. Panna cottas can be flavored with a whole variety of different ingredients, but their richness and body comes from the cream that makes up the base of the dessert.