Espresso Con Panna with Sunnyside Cream

If you follow Saskatoon and area food news, you probably are somewhat familiar with Sunnyside Creamery. It is a small dairy out by Martensville where one can buy fresh unhomogenized (still pasteurized) milk and other dairy products (as well as meat and other farm products). I had been wanting to try it since it opened but couldn't justify a trip to Martensville just for milk.

I'm disappointed about the Saskatoon Farmers' Market's recent move to Koyl Avenue near the airport, but excited that a couple of the vendors decided to start a new online market where I can still buy from some of my favourites without having to travel to the bowels of North Industrial. Not only does The Little Market Box currently carry products from most of my favourite vendors (and still adding more), they also carry a variety of Sunnyside Creamery products.

I was so excited when I discovered this, and made an order for the soft opening to try the whole milk, heavy cream, and cheese curds. I liked the milk a lot (it foamed really gorgeously for cappuccinos), the curds were very good (excited to make a legit squeaky homemade poutine at some point), but the cream? The cream CHANGED MY LIFE. It is thick AF and extremely sweet and rich, and makes whipped cream that is out of this world.

This summer I attended the last academic conference of my Master's career in Bologna, Italy. My mom and I went on a food tour on our first day in the city, and our first tasting honestly was my most memorable culinary experience of the entire trip: espresso con panna.

Espresso con panna is simply a shot of espresso with whipped cream, but this cream was magical. Our guide called it "French whipped cream" and said it was made with 38% cream instead of the usual 33-35% which is what one usually buys as whipping cream in the grocery store. It had a texture nearly like meringue - it was so heavy that it didn't really melt into the espresso so we had to eat it with a spoon. It was divine.

When I came home I wanted to recreate it, and purchased the 36% "old fashioned" whipping cream at the grocery store. It still wasn't heavy enough.

I don't know what the percentage is in Sunnyside's heavy cream, but it's PERFECT for the espresso con panna of my dreams. This is a very simple yet sophisticated evening dessert or lazy weekend morning treat. I am obsessed with it.

Extremely Decadent Espresso Con Panna 

To serve one:

Whip about 2 tbsp of Sunnyside heavy cream with a pinch of sugar and dash of vanilla until you have stiff peaks. Use a spatula to scrape it into an espresso mug or small ramekin.

Brew a shot of espresso (if you don't have an espresso machine, you could either use some extra strong coffee, or grab an espresso shot to go from McDonald's). If you can though, brew it directly over the cream.

Enjoy slowly with a spoon!