Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients:

• 3 1/3 cups heavy cream, plus 1 teaspoon
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 cup pig’s blood*
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 3½ sheets gelatin
• ¾ lemon peel
• 6 (4-ounce) ramekins
• Pitted Bing cherries to garnish
  
  *Pig’s blood can be bought from your local butcher, or at some Asian markets where it comes congealed in cubes.

Method:
In a medium non-reactive saucepan, combine 2 1/3 cups of the cream, sugar, pig’s blood, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, and cracked black pepper. (Save 1 cup of cream aside to bloom the sheet gelatin.) Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring gently. Remove from heat and let the flavor develop by steeping the liquid like tea. Bloom the gelatin in the remaining cup of cream for 5 minutes, or until soft. Strain the steeped liquid; add the gelatin and cream. Strain the final mixture through a fine-meshed sieved; pour into chilled ramekins that have been sprayed with pan spray. Allow to set in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

To Assemble and Serve:
Dip each ramekin into hot water and then gently shake the panna cotta free from its mold onto a serving plate. Garnish with freshly pitted Bing cherries. Serve immediately.

Wine Pairing
The first thing that comes to sommelier Ed Ruiz’s mind to pair with this is RA, a Sannio Aglianico Passito by Bruno DeConciliis of Cilento in Campania. Recioto della Valpolicella would be another fine pairing. Another good option is to choose a fruitier ruby non-Italian port, preferably an L.B.V. rather than a vintage.