Vanilla Rum Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel

We had a big container of plain vanilla yogurt in our fridge that was about to expire in a few days. I was looking online for recipes where I would be able to use a lot of the yogurt and came across this Vanilla Rum Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel recipe by Ina Garten. Both of us love panna cotta and salted caramel, so it was a no brainer that I'd make the recipe. The recipe was incredibly fast and easy to follow and the end results were just fabulous. Dr. Sweetpea kept telling me that this would be a fabulous recipe to serve when we have guests over. It's definitely another keeper recipe for us! 

Vanilla Rum Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel

(Source: Ina Garten)

2 teaspoons (1 packet) unflavored gelatin

3 cups heavy cream, divided

2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

3/4 cup sugar

Dark rum, such as Mount Gay

1/2 cup good caramel sauce, such as Fran’s

Fleur de sel

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on 3 tablespoons of cold water. Stir and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the gelatin to dissolve

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together 1½ cups of the cream, the yogurt, vanilla extract, and vanilla seeds. Heat the remaining 1½ cups of cream and the sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Off the heat, stir the softened gelatin into the hot cream until dissolved. Pour the hot cream–gelatin mixture into the cream-yogurt mixture and stir in 3 tablespoons of rum. Pour into 8 serving glasses and refrigerate uncovered until cold. When the panna cottas are thoroughly chilled, cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill overnight.

Before serving, heat the caramel sauce with 2 teaspoons of rum in a small bowl in the microwave or a small saucepan set over low heat, just until warm. Spoon a thin layer of warm caramel on each cold panna cotta, sprinkle with fleur de sel, and serve.