Celeb Best Blog

Every Christmas we are given a beautiful boxed Panettone by elderly Italian friends. Other than sliced & chucked in the toaster, served with a drizzle of honey & a good dollop of yoghurt, I've always been at a loss for ideas beyond that. Then I saw a recipe from Bill Granger in this month's Delicious mag & I was inspired to do some further research. Who would have thought the humble Panettone offers such yummy treats! Although be warned - you'll not see any of the recipes using Lo-Fat anything!!

• Slice a thick cross-section of the cake. Soak it thoroughly in two eggs beaten with cream and a pinch of salt. Cook it over medium low heat in butter until golden brown on both sides.


• Dust with icing sugar (powdered sugar).
• Serve it with maple syrup &/or a dollop of mascarpone & slices of good quality crispy bacon. This cross-section of the Panettone can serve three or four people.

Bill's Panettone Pudding

Ingredients:

1/2 large panettone (about 500gm.) sliced 1cm. thick

1/2 cup mixed dried fruit (such as sultanas & cranberries)

2 free-range eggs, plus 6 extra egg yolks

2 cups full cream milk

200mls. pure (unthickened) cream, plus extra to serve

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup caster sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for the topping

Method:

• Lightly grease a 2.5 litre baking dish. Slightly overlap the panettone in the dish & sprinkle each layer with the dried fruit.
• Whisk the eggs, yolks, milk, cream, vanilla & sugar in a bowl to combine. Pour over the panettone. Stand for 30 minutes, pressing down on the panettone every 10 minutes so it soaks up the liquid. Sprinkle with the extra sugar.

• Preheat the oven to 180C. Bake pudding for 45-50 minutes until golden (cover with foil if it's browning too quickly). Stand for 10 minutes, then serve with the extra cream.
  

Panettone French Toast with Mixed Berries

• In a wide, shallow bowl, beat eggs, cream, milk, sugar and vanilla. Add the panettone, turn to coat and leave to soak for 10 minutes, pressing down from time to time to ensure it soaks up the batter.
• Meanwhile, place half the berries in a blender with icing sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Blend until smooth. Combine with remaining berries and set aside.
• Heat half the butter in a non-stick frypan over medium heat. Drain excess egg mixture from half the panettone slices and cook for 1-2 minutes each side until golden. Keep warm while you repeat with remaining butter and panettone.
• To serve, place two slices on each plate, dust with icing sugar, and top with the berries and a dollop of cream.
  

Chilled Panettone Puddings with Poached Spiced Cherries

Ingredients: (serves 4)
8 x 1.5cm-thick slices of panettone
40g butter, softened
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 cup (250ml) milk
1/2 cup (125ml) thin cream
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Spiced cherries
250g fresh cherries, stems removed
1 cup (250ml) rose wine
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
2 whole star anise
1 cinnamon stick
Method:

• Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease four 2/3-cup (160ml) capacity dariole moulds or ramekins. Use a 7cm round pastry cutter to cut 8 discs from the panettone slices. Spread discs with butter and marmalade and place two discs in each of the prepared moulds.
• Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla bean paste in a jug until well combined. Pour evenly over the panettone slices and set aside for 15 minutes to soak.
• Place in a roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the moulds. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and place in the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
• Meanwhile, to make the spiced cherries, place the cherries, wine, sugar, star anise and cinnamon in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and poach for 15 minutes or until syrup thickens and cherries are tender. Remove from heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill.
• Turn the puddings onto serving plates. Spoon the cherries and syrup around the puddings and serve immediately.

Panettone, Berry and Mascarpone Trifle

Ingredients: (serves 4)
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) Frangelico hazelnut liqueur
250g carton mascarpone
8 x 1cm-thick slices panettone
300g fresh or frozen mixed berries
Method :

• Use a balloon whisk to whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add 1 tablespoonful of the Frangelico and whisk until smooth. Add the mascarpone and use a metal spoon to gently fold until just combined.
• Use an 8cm. round pastry cutter to cut discs from the panettone slices. Brush four discs with a little of the remaining Frangelico. Place in the base of four 1-cup (250ml) capacity serving glasses. Spoon half the berries evenly among serving glasses. Top with half the mascarpone mixture.
• Continue layering with remaining berries, mascarpone mixture, panettone and Frangelico, finishing with a layer of mascarpone. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill before serving.
  

Panettone, Ricotta and Nectarine Cake

Ingredients for the Cake:
1 x 900 gm. panettone
600 gm. fresh ricotta cheese
50 gm. bitter dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
50 gm. glace orange, finely chopped
50 gm. blanched almonds, roasted & coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon icing sugar (powered sugar), plus extra for dusting
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
4 fresh nectarines halved, stoned & sliced into thin wedges
Method:

• Using a serrated knife, cut top off panettone to make a neat cylinder shape, then trim crust from cylinder and cut widthways into four 1cm-thick slices. Reserve trimmed panettone for another use.
• Push ricotta through a fine sieve into a bowl, then add chocolate, glacé orange, almonds, icing sugar and half the liqueur and combine well.
• Spread 1/3 cup ricotta mixture over bottom slice of panettone, press another slice over the top, then repeat spreading and layering, finishing with a layer of ricotta.
• Combine nectarines with remaining liqueur, then top panettone with one-third of the peaches.
• Serve cake cut into wedges, with remaining sliced nectarines passed separately. Cake is best served on day of making.

Apricot Panettone Pudding

Ingredients:
150g dried apricots, soaked in 1 1/2 cups water for several hours to soften
250gm. panettone, sliced
butter
300mls. milk
a piece of vanilla pod, split open with a sharp knife
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
50gm. blanched almonds, finely chopped
icing sugar (powered sugar)

Method:

• Put the apricots in a small saucepan, bring to a gentle boil, then cook gently for 5 minutes, or until very tender. Drain, reserving the juice. Mash the apricots to a puree.
• Spread most of the apricot puree over the panettone and arrange in a buttered ovenproof dish. Spread the remaining puree over the top, along with any juices.
• Put the milk, the split vanilla pod and sugar in a saucepan. Heat slowly until the milk is just boiling, then set it aside for 10 minutes.
• Beat the egg and egg yolk together in a bowl, then pour on the heated milk, stirring to make a custard.
• Pour the custard around the edges of the panettone (not over the top).
• Sprinkle on the almonds and dot the top with butter.
• Bake 30-40 minutes in an oven preheated to 170°C (regular bake, not fanbake), or until most of the custard has been absorbed and the pudding is golden on top.
• Remove from the oven and cool 10 minutes. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.
  

Christmas Panettone and Mincemeat Pudding

Ingredients:
75gm. leftover sweet fruit mincemeat
Alcohol such as Baileys, Brandy, Whisky or Rum (optional)
50gm. butter
1 panettone, sliced into small squares
100mls. milk
375ml double cream
4 eggs
125gm. caster sugar
A few drops vanilla extract
Method:

• Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F).
• Put the leftover fruit mincemeat in a bowl and cover with your chosen alcohol. Leave to soak.
• Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the panettone slices for 2-3 minutes or until golden on both sides.
• Arrange the panettone slices with the fruit mincemeat, overlapping slightly into a baking dish.
• Pour the milk and cream into a pan and bring slowly up the boil.
• Whisk the eggs with the sugar until frothy and pale.
• Add the milk and cream mixture to the eggs and stirring continuously, add the vanilla extract.
• Pour the mixture over the panettone and set aside for 30 minutes to allow to soak in well.
• Bake in a bain-marie or roasting pan filled with hot water to come halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until just set in the middle
  
  Image & recipe credits: 1. Perbellini 2,3. Taste with the Eyes 4,5,6,7. Taste 8. Gourmet Traveller 9. Cuisine 10. Love Food Hate Waste