Panna Cotta

Kate Neumann describes this cool, delicate dessert as "just fruit and cream, barely sweetened. It has the qualities of custard without the egginess. Greek yogurt makes it wonderfully tangy." She tops the panna cotta with dried apricots that she's plumped in wine and honey, often adding a scattering of crunchy, salty toasted almonds or pistachios.

This light, silky panna cotta tastes a lot like hot cocoa in custard form. The brittle is easy to make; heat sugar and water on the stove, swirl in butter and spiced pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), then let cool.

This dessert is made up of two elements—creamy vanilla panna cotta and a clear cranberry jelly. Alison Attenborough created a graphic look by tilting the plastic glasses at a 45-degree angle as the first two layers are poured and allowed to set.

Pastry chef Jansen Chan grew up eating a Chinese dessert called "almond Jell-O"—essentially an almond-flavored panna cotta. Then he had his first real Italian panna cotta: "It was plainer, but so much richer," he recalls. Here, Chan toys with the classic, creating a version with Greek yogurt and nonfat sour cream that is luxuriously creamy, yet still low in fat and calories.

Chef Erin Eastland created this supereasy and beautiful dessert using rose syrup.

The panna cottas can be refrigerated in the ramekins for up to 2 days.

This elegant, low-fat panna cotta requires only five ingredients: cranberries, sugar, gelatin, water and buttermilk (instead of the usual cream).