Panettone, an Italian holiday tradition, taken to a new level with ice cream stuffing.
Originating in Milan in the 1500s, panettone is deeply rooted in Italian Christmas traditions. Its name is derived from the word "panetto," which means "small loaf" and the suffix "-one" changes its meaning to "large loaf."
In Italy no respectable home would go through the holiday season without either a panettone or its close cousin pandoro. Pandoro is star shaped and does not include any raisins, dried orange, citron, or lemon zest. This recipe can be easily adapted to work with pandoro, if you prefer that version.
With a sharp serrated knife, cut 1/2 inch off the bottom of the panettone; make sure to leave the paper form that comes on the panettone in place, it will help keep it together.
With a shorter knife, cut the interior of the panettone leaving about 1/2" to an inch around it and a little more on the bottom (which is the actual top), then use your hand to scoop it out, making room for the ice cream.
Scoop the soften ice cream into it, filling about half the space available. Make sure to press it down since gravity will tend to make it come down once you flip the panettone over.
This time I wanted to try something different, so I decided to take inspiration from tiramisu and add a layer of rum-soaked ladyfingers in the middle.
As simple as it sounds, take the ladyfingers, four or five should suffice, soak them in rum and place a double layer on top of the ice cream.
I chose to use silver rum instead of dark to keep the taste more neutral and in line with the rum raising ice cream I like, but feel free to chose your favorite rum or other liquor of choice.
Finish up by scooping the ice cream, filling it up to the top of the opening.
Replace the bottom layer and flip the panettone right up.
Place the panettone in the freezer for at least a few hours before serving to let the ice cream firm up.
Once ready, I like to remove the panettone from the freezer at least 30 minutes before serving.
Using a
, I dust the top with powdered sugar before slicing. Another popular topping is melted chocolate, but I prefer the simplicity of powdered sugar and let the panettone itself shine.