'Tis the season (for excess)

Utilising every inch of oven space (I made 15 trays in all)

The making of the caramel

Patiently waiting in the 30 minute queue before being baked

Tis the season for scheduling the life out of, well…life. Here I am nearly 1.5 weeks post Potentino Pop-Up finally finding a bit of time to catch up with 'abiteof'. In today’s diary:

• 8 am – 6 pm: Catch up on an assortment of work tasks
• 6 pm – 7:30 pm: Travel home via Angel, purchase last minute Christmukah gifts before flight home to the US on Friday
• 8 pm – 9 pm: Prep for tomorrow night’s DB gig (sourcing a kitsch and cute après ski outfit from the hidden depths of my closet), possibly eat dinner depending on how much chocolate (3 pieces) / number of mince pies (none – HURRAH!) consumed this afternoon
• 9 pm – 10:30 pm: Back to work (ridonkulous conference call with client in Australia)
• 10:30 pm onwards: Write blog

It’s 10:45 pm folks, I’m getting a late start, but better late than never.

‘Tis also the season for excess (parties, long Christmas lunches, delicious treats of the savoury and sweet variety)…as such, I didn’t blink an eye when asked to come up with a pudding for Potentino’s Christmas Feast ‘Pop-Up’ last week. I mean really, I figured what better way to indulge than with:


9 liters (38 cups) single cream 


Yep, you read that right.  Also add to the mix:  

• 2.5 kg (88 ounces) Brown Sugar
• 2.2 kg (18 US sticks) Unsalted Butter
• 1.4 liters (6 cups) Whipping Cream
• 15 Panettones (if approx 455 grams or 1 lb each) regardless, 6.8 kilos or 15 lbs of panettone
• 1 liter (approx 4 cups) Orange Juice
• 4 dozen Eggs
• 450 ml (91 teaspoons) Vanilla Extract
• 4 packages dried Apricots
• 4 packages dried Cranberries
• 2.5 (5.5 lbs) kilos Sugar 

Toss it all together, (more or less), and you get Dana’s Panettone Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce.

Panettone, traditional Italian Christmas bread is egg-y, sweet, and studded with dried and candied fruit.  However, I imagine that and egg-y bread (e.g. Challah) would work a treat as well.

The recipe below will serve about 8-10 depending on portion size.  The caramel recipe is even more generous than that. Although lets be honest folks, the caramel can keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks.  Just reheat and eat directly with a spoon.

Dana's Panettone Bread Pudding

• 1/3 cup Dried Cranberries
• 1/3 cup Dried Apricots
• 1/4 cup Orange Juice
• 1/2 stick (56 grams) Unsalted Butter, softened
• 1 pound Panettone (approx 450 grams), sliced 1 inch thick
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 3 large Eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 1/2 cups (590 ml) Light Cream
• 2 tablespoons Vanilla

- Soak cranberries and apricots in warmed orange juice for about 10 minutes, then drain

- Meanwhile, butter panettone on both sides and bake in the oven until golden brown (flipping halfway) about 12 mins around 180°C/ 350°F. Remove from oven, but keep oven on

- Whisk together remaining ingredients

- Break panettone into bite-size pieces and spread evenly in a buttered 13-by 9-inch baking dish. Scatter fruit over top, then pour in egg mixture. Let stand 30 minutes

- Place in oven and bake until pudding is golden and just set, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.  It's good for about 3-4 days.


Caramel Sauce

• 1 1/4 cups (packed) Dark Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick, 113 grams) Unsalted Butter
• 1/2 cup Whipping Cream
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• Cinnamon to taste

Whisk brown sugar and butter in medium sized saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in cream and vanilla and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.  Add ground cinnamon as you prefer (not necessary but a nice addition if you fancy it).