The great-grandfather of Italian cuisine, Pellegrino Artusi (see theflr.net/artusi), has a recipe in his 1891 cookbook, Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well, for a dessert that he calls Dolce Firenze, a previously unnamed dish that he savoured in Florence. While it is no longer a dish that can be found in Florence, it sounds remarkably similar to British bread and butter pudding—thinly sliced, toasted bread, buttered on both sides, is arranged in a dish with sultanas and lemon zest scattered over the top. Beaten eggs, milk and sugar are poured over and the whole thing is baked.
The centuries-old British dessert of bread and butter pudding dates back to the time of the Tudors, when it was known as ‘white-pot.’ This humble, delicate and thrifty dessert involves soaking old bread slices in a mixture of milk, cream and egg, and then baking them in a bain-marie until a crunchy top hides the softest custard inside. Traditionally, it is simply flavoured—with some dried currants or sultanas, perhaps soaked in brandy, perhaps given a lift with some lemon zest or vanilla.
For an Italian revival of Artusi’s dish, it seems almost natural to use panettone to make bread and butter pudding: this large, brioche-like cake is already blessed with the right flavours—candied citrus peel, vanilla and dried fruit. The traditional Christmas cake, originally from Milan, has made its way into households all over Italy (and beyond) and there is usually some leftover lying around well after the holidays. To add something a little extra to this otherwise straightforward pudding, some chocolate hazelnut spread takes the place of butter, perfect for those cold, post-holiday days, when one is in need of a bit of indulgence.
RECIPE
Individual panettone puddings (serves 4)
Ingredients
Butter for greasing
3 eggs
100ml cream
200ml whole milk
2 tbsp caster (extra-fine) sugar
400g panettone
Chocolate hazelnut spread
2 tbsp raw sugar
1. Grease six ramekins generously with butter.
2. Beat the eggs, cream, milk and caster sugar in a bowl.
3. Slice the panettone into 1cm thick slices and then into smaller pieces—one square for each ramekin and triangles to fit.
4. Spread the squares with chocolate hazelnut spread and dip these pieces into the egg mixture, then place into the bottom of each ramekin and let rest for 20 minutes to soak.
5. Spread the triangles with chocolate hazelnut spread and place, slightly overlapping, into each ramekin to fill them.
6. Carefully pour over the rest of the egg mixture and sprinkle the tops with the raw sugar.
7. Place the ramekins in a large casserole dish (this will be the bain-marie). Place in oven at 180ºC, then with a jug, fill the larger dish with water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 minutes or until the custard is just set and the pudding is golden and crisp on top.
THE ART OF EATING WELL
A week-long Tuscan food getaway in March
Learn the age-old traditions of Tuscan food with Emiko Davies via the great-grandfather of Italian cuisine, Pellegrino Artusi. Make some favourite Artusi recipes in the beautiful setting of Villa Campestri, a Renaissance estate just north of Florence. Much more than just a cooking course, there will also be olive oil and wine tastings as well as visits to artisan food producers. For more information, e-mail villa.campestri@villacampestri.it
