1½ cups half & half plus ⅓ cup half & half (or milk)
3 tablespoons maple syrup (I originally used brown sugar and found Deborah's maple syrup a better fit for the level of sweetness I wanted.)
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 package (1/4 ounce) powdered gelatin
Caramelized Apples to top (recipe in Notes section)
Instructions
Place the ⅓ cup half & half in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Stir gently and leave for 5 minutes to soften.
Combine the remaining half and half in a small saucepan with the sugar and pumpkin, and heat until the mixture just reaches the scalding point but does not boil, whisking often. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cinnamon and nutmeg.
Whisk in the gelatin mixture until smooth. Strain through sieve, pushing solids through (as much as you can). I did have some fibery bits left in the sieve that I discarded.
Divide the mixture into 4-6 glasses or ramekins and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (I did it overnight). I felt the divided servings for four were very heavy for a dessert (after a large meal). Using six ramekins and more caramelized fruit had better balance for me. My differently-sized bowls in the photo yielded 5 servings.
Notes
Caramelized Apples
1 large or 2 medium apples (Granny Smith or Jonagold work well) 1½ tablespoons butter ½ teaspoon cinnamon 1½ tablespoons sugar (adjust depending on how sweet you want the fruit)
Cut the fruit in half, remove the core and peel. Cut into small dice. In a heavy frying pan heat the butter until bubbling. Add the apples, sugar and cinnamon and stir. Cook over medium heat stirring often until the apples and very tender and obtain a nice golden brown color. Remove from the heat and place in a covered bowl until needed. (Make extra: leftover apples are great on yogurt with a sprinkle of granola.)
To serve, allow the panna cotta to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Spoon on apples. Serve immediately.
Recipe by story of a kitchen at https://www.storyofakitchen.com/dessert-recipes/panna-cotta/