Ingredients

Serves 4

　　55 g saltine crackers (1/2 sleeve)

　　220 g milk (1 cup)

　　160 g heavy cream (3/4 cup)

　　150 g sugar (3/4 cup)

　　12 g kosher salt (1 tablespoon)

　　6 g baking soda (1 teaspoon)

　　1 1/2 gelatin sheets

　　Pam or other nonstick cooking spray

　　

Step 1

Heat the oven to 250°F.

　　

Step 2

Put the saltines on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes to toast them lightly. Cool completely.

　　

Step 3

Transfer the saltines to a blender, pour in the milk, and blend on high for about 20 seconds. Immediately strain the saltine milk through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, using your hand or the back of a ladle to wring all the milk out of the saltines. Do not force any mushy saltines through the sieve. (We compost the mush.)

　　

Step 4

Whisk in the heavy cream, sugar, salt, and baking soda until fully dissolved.

　　

Step 5

Bloom the gelatin (see page 29).

　　

Step 6

Pour the saltine mixture into a medium saucepan and heat until warm to the touch. Remove from the heat, add the bloomed gelatin, and whisk until dissolved.

　　

Step 7

Lightly Pam-spray 4 (2-ounce) circular molds. We use silicone molds for ease of removal once the panna cottas are set. Put the molds on a flat, transportable surface. Pour the saltine panna cotta base into the molds and transfer to the freezer to set for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

　　

Step 8

Remove the panna cottas from their molds by gently popping them out or by plunging the bases of the molds into warm water for 3 seconds, then tapping them upside down on the counter. Stored in an airtight container, the panna cottas will keep in the freezer for 1 month. Thaw before serving, either overnight in the fridge or for 3 hours at room temperature.

　　

notes

Step 9

Toasting the saltines deepens the flavor of the steeped milk.

　　

Step 10

Powdered gelatin can be substituted for the sheet gelatin: use 3/4 teaspoon.

　　Reprinted with permission from Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi with Courtney McBroom. Copyright © 2011 by MomoMilk, LLC. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Christina Tosi is the chef and owner of Momofuku Milk Bar, called "one of the most exciting bakeries in the country" by Bon Appètit. As founder of the desserts programs at Momofuku, including Noodle Bar, Ssäat;m Bar, Ko and Má Pêche, Christina was most recently shortlisted for a James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef Award. Christina and her confections have appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and Live! with Regis and Kelly, among others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her three dogs and eats an unconscionable amount of raw cookie dough every day.