TIP OF THE DAY: Christmas Fondue

December 23, 2014 at 8:05 am · Filed under Christmas, Desserts, Recipes

In supermarkets, displays are currently piled high with panettone and pandoro, Italian holiday breads that are traditionally served and gifted during the Christmas and New Year season.

The origins of sweet leavened breads date back to Roman times. By Medieval times, different regions of Italy had created signature holiday breads. Best-known, and available in the U.S., are:

Pandoro, the star-shaped “golden bread” from Venice, has no inclusions but is sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar. This modern version first appeared in late 19th-century Verona. In the Renaissance, cone-shaped cakes for the wealthy were dusted with gold leaf.

Panettone, from Milan, has origins in a medieval Christmas yeast bread, filled with candied fruits and raisins. It is tall, dome-shaped and airy. While the recipe has been around for centuries, the first known use of the word “panettone” with Christmas is found in the 18th century writings of Pietro Verri, who refers to it as “pane di tono,” “large loaf.”

Panforte is short and dense, almost like fruitcake. It dates to 13th-century Siena, in Tuscany. Like fruitcake, it is served in thin slices.

Dip panettone cubes into chocolate fondue. Photo courtesy Zabars.

PANETTONE DESSERT

Most panettone is accented with raisins, candied orange peel, citron and lemon zest. Some modern versions add chocolate, which was not available when the recipe originated; others are plain, like pandoro.

For a dessert or a snack, the classic panettone accompaniment is a sweet hot beverage or a sweet wine such as spumante or moscato (any dessert wine will do). Some Italians add a side of crema di mascarpone, a cream made from mascarpone cheese, eggs, and amaretto (or you can substitute zabaglione, a sherry-flavored custard sauce).

But you can Americanize it into chocolate fondue with seasonal dippers. Here are recipes for chocolate and white chocolate fondues. Consider a white chocolate version with panettone and green and red fruit dippers—very Christmassy.

You can also slice the panettone into layers and fill them with whipped cream (how about bourbon or rum whipped cream); then top with berries.

A pandoro, baked in the shape of a star, with staggered slices emulating a Christmas tree. Photo courtesy Monkey-chef.blogspot.com.

FONDUE DIPPERS

Cakes, Cookies & Candies

Amaretti

Biscotti: cranberry, ginger, pumpkin

Crystallized ginger

Fruit cake cubes

Mini meringues

Gingersnaps or mini gingerbread men

Panettone cubes

Fruits

Figs

Kiwi

Lady apples

Red grapes

Clementine/orange/mandarin segments

Pear slices

Strawberries and raspberries

MORE PANETTONE DESSERT RECIPES

Try this Panettone Bread Pudding recipe.

With this Panettone French Toast recipe, you can serve the slices like dessert crêpes, topped with some whipped cream or ice cream.

PANDORO DESSERT

The star shape of a pandoro enables creative cooks to cut the cake into horizontal layers, then stack them in a offset layers to create a Christmas tree effect (see the photo above). You can decorated the tree with red and green candied cherries, or raspberries and and mint leaves.

Alternatively, layers can be sandwiched with whipped cream or zabaglione. Whipped cream flavored with amaretto, Irish cream liqueur or chocolate liqueur is especially festive. Follow this recipe for Bourbon whipped cream (there’s also a recipe for salted caramel whipped cream).

Find more pandoro recipes at BauliUSA.com.

Please follow and like us: