The Italian sweet cake called Panettone is very similar to American fruitcake and like its New World cousin Panettone has earned a reputation for being the unwanted holiday food gift among Europeans. Italians love their Panettone but other people, such as the English, may be rather ambivalent about it.
But lest we fall prey to prurient English cuisine humor (I just love Jamie Oliver!) let us see if Panettone can be rescued from the doldrums of holiday dining despair, shall we?
We should begin with a simple recipe for Panettone so you can see what the fuss is all about. Given the cake's reputation for being dry and hearty it is no wonder that people look for the proper beverage with which to enjoy it.
Not that everyone thinks it is so bad. Even among culinary bloggers Panettone has its brave and noble defenders who appreciate the food as it is intended. And so we should seek rewarding ways to enrich and improve upon the Panettone experience, not to hide it from our taste buds.
One very common suggestion is to make bread pudding with your Panettone. By using the Panettone as the basis for the pudding you retain its rich ingredients while making the dish somewhat more palatable to people who simply must have a rich, moist cake-like experience.
But there is more to do with Panettone than merely consign it to the back rows of bread pudding ingredients. Some years ago foodies on a forum shared ideas of what to do with Panettone. Although not everyone who participated was a clear Panettone fan the obvious winner in this exchange was the world of Panettone lovers who want to enlarge their culinary offerings.
This wonderful article form the Local Harvest blog could have been inspired by that discussion, for it is packed with recipes and pictures illustrating exactly how you can use Panettone to enrichen your dining experience. I just want to try everything on that page!
But I have saved the best for last. I think I would want to try this delicious-looking Panettone ice cream if I could only have Panettone one way. Making ice cream from a holiday cake is a fantastic idea for spreading holiday cheer throughout the summer months!
Oh, my mouth is watering. I only wish the local ice cream parlor offered Panettone as a flavor. Maybe next year they will!
