If using ramekins, spray the ramekins lightly with cooking spray. If using wine glasses or Weck jars, skip this step.

Pour the milk into the saucepan and sprinkle gelatin evenly over top. Let the gelatin soften for 5 minutes or until the the gelatin grains look wet and slightly dissolved.

Set the saucepan over low heat and warm the milk gently, stirring or whisking frequently until the gelatin is dissolved. The milk should never boil or simmer; if you see steam rising from the pan, remove the pot from the stove and let it cool down a bit.

After about 2 minutes, stir the sugar into the milk and continue warming the milk until it dissolves as well. It shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes total to dissolve both the gelatin and sugar.Again, DO NOT LET THE GELATIN MIXTURE BOIL.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the heavy cream, vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt into the bloomed gelatin milk.

Place ramekins, clear glasses or jars onto a  baking sheet. Pour mixture evenly between the prepared ramekins or cocktail glasses and put in the refrigerator to chill.

If serving the panna cotta straight from the cups, without un-molding, chill for 1-2 hours. If you want to unmold the panna cotta, chill for at least 4 hours or overnight until the panna cotta sets.

To unmold the ramekins dip ramekins in a bowl of hot water for a few seconds and then tip over onto a serving plate.

Cranberry Sauce

• In a small saucepan combine the sugar and water over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved add the washed and drained cranberries and cook for 10 minutes. The berries will start to pop and burst. Then add the orange zest and spices(if using) to the cranberry mixture and mix well. Start with a pinch of spices and season to your taste. Remove from heat and let cool. The mixture thickens as it cools. You can uses the mixture as is or add it to a food processor to blend to a smooth consistency. Alternately you can use a hand blender.
• If you like you can strain the cranberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve to make it smooth.

To serve, top the chilled panna cotta with cranberry sauce and add a sprig of mint for garnish.