Christmas Leftovers - Panettone Bread Pudding

Ok - I started writing this post a while back but never finished it! So, unfortunately the subject is a bit dated...Christmas!!!!!!!

The history on this one ....My mother-in-law loves Panettone and since she and my father-in-law have spent a fair amount of time in Europe, we decided to get an Italian one..(well, from the Italian deli). We were also going to have 6 people in the house over the Christmas period so we splurged at the Italian deli and got a huge one! By huge - I truly mean HUGE and was wondering how we would finish it. It turned out to be very delicious and would have got over except for the fact that I was dying to try a Panettone Bread Pudding recipe I found in a magazine several years ago.

The pudding looked beautiful coming out the oven and smelt delicious. I had a bite...and oops, disliked it! I felt so sad that it did not turn out well coz the smell and look were umm....yummy AND, I had been treasuring this recipe for years, waiting for an opportunity to make it!

Anyway, I asked my sister-in-law to taste it. She liked it and said it was fit to be served. Okaay.. I was still unsure but went ahead and served it to everyone else. Some had it with ice cream and some without. Guess what, they all liked it!?! The pudding was almost over and honestly, I was shocked. Perhaps the lesson is - I don't like bread puddings! I have never had one before, so I did not know what to expect..!

Ingredients

1 loaf panettone (32-35 ounces) cut into 1 inch cubes

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

4 whole eggs

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Butter for baking dish

Method

Heat oven to 325F. Place panettone in a bowl. In another bowl whisk cream, milk, eggs, yolk, sugar, zest and vanilla extract. Pour over the cubes of panettone and let soak for 5 minutes, stirring 2-3 times gently. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish and bake for 60-70 minutes.

The proof is in the pudding.....

Last year when we had just moved to London, we got invited to a 4th of July BBQ and that's where I tasted a fantastic banana pudding. Am not really into puddings but this one was just delicious and I actually asked for the recipe. Magnolia strikes again - the recipe is Magnolia Bakery's Famous Banana Pudding. The recipe proportions served about 15-20 people so I decided it would be perfect for Di's BBQ today. Safe to say the pudding was a hit as the huge bowl got polished off! When you read the recipe, don't think of calories please...just enjoy the result! It's not that often we indulge in puddings...

Ingredients:

1 can 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

1.5 cups ice cold water

1 3.4 oz pack instant vanilla pudding mix

3 cups heavy (double) cream

1 12 oz. box Nabisco Nilla Wafers

4 cups sliced ripe bananas

Directions:

In a small bowl, beat together the condensed milk and water until combined. Add pudding mix and beat well. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight before continuing. It is important for the pudding mix to set.

In a large bowl whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble, select a large wide bowl (4-5 Qt. capacity). Arrange 1/3 of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, then 1/3 of the bananas and 1/3 of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or crumbs on top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours.

That's the original recipe. I had to improvise slightly as I did not have an instant vanilla pudding mix. I had to cook the pudding (hot milk in saucepan type) and then let it set. I combined the whipped cream with set pudding and the can of condensed milk and it still worked. I think the result was that the pudding was not too sweet. I did get the Vanilla wafers and the pudding mix from the US but am guessing you can find Vanilla custard mix and plain Vanilla wafers (cookies/biscuits) in London. I need to look for a wafer substitute in the grocery stores here but am told that the Nabisco wafers are available at Partridges in the Duke of York square.