I love panettone. I eagerly look forward to seeing the first boxes at my local market. For me it signals the beginning of the real Christmas season, I don’t see it in October (unlike many other things of which I can easily rant). Lightly toasted with a smear of lemon curd, a cup of dark strong tea beside it…heaven…it’s hard to beat. However, I am the only one in my family who feels that way. All the rest turn up their noses. This year, in a burst of early Christmas season enthusiasm, I purchased two. And now, in February, I find one box still on my kitchen counter. It was time to do something (although it would probably keep till next Christmas).

I saw a recipe from Jamie Oliver for a “Bonkers bread & butter panettone pudding tart”. Although the measurements were in milliliters and grams, I decided to take the plunge. The following recipe is almost as written on his website, converted to oz., cups and tablespoons. I had to make a substitution as, at the last minute, I discovered there was no milk in the house (no one drinks it). I substituted unsweetened almond milk.

Panettone Pudding Tart

Save the recipe, pin it, until Christmas comes around again, or make your own panettone as the talented bakers featured on “In Your Kitchen” monthly blog party have done.

This bread and butter pudding, layered with panettone, chocolate, orange marmalade and custard is a winner.

Bread and Butter Panettone Pudding Tart (serves 8 generously)

• 1 box (750 g) plain panettone
• 9 tablespoons of unsalted butter plus extra for greasing the tart pan (125 g)
• 4 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 vanilla pod
• 1 ¼ cup of heavy cream (300 ml)
• 1 ¼ cup of whole milk (I used almond milk) (300 ml)
• 5 large eggs
• 7 tablespoons of light brown sugar (100 g)
• 60 grams (about ¾ of a regular chocolate bar) of 70% or more dark chocolate
• 5 tablespoons of bitter orange marmalade (60 g)

You will need an 11-inch (28 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom.

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. (180 degrees C)
2. Lightly grease an 11-inch (28 cm) tart pan with removable bottom with softened butter.
3. Crush 2 tablespoons of sugar in a mortar and pestle until finely ground. Mix in the additional 2 tablespoons.
4. Add the sugar to the tart pan and shake around to coat. Add any extra back into the bowl of your mortar.
5. Cut the crust off the panettone and line the sides and bottom of the tart pan. Press the bread firmly into the pan to make a shell.
6. Halve the vanilla bean lengthways and scrape out the seeds, put both the seeds and pod into a saucepan. Add the cream, milk and butter. Bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes or until the butter is completely melted.
7. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a large bowl with the light brown sugar for about 2 minutes or until smooth.
8. Whisking constantly, slowly add the hot milk and cream to the eggs. Discard the vanilla pod.
9. Pour 1/3 of the custard into the shell of the tart and spread it to cover the bottom.
10. Tear the remaining panettone into chunks and add to the custard in the bowl. Let it soak up the wonderful eggy mess.
11. After a few minutes you can start layering bits of chocolate and small spoons of orange marmalade between layers of panettone soaked in custard.
12. Pour over any leftover custard. And sprinkle with any remaining sugar.
13. Bake about 25 minutes, until set. Allow to cool and rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Ready to bake

Bread and Butter Pudding with Ice crean

Serve with ice cream, custard, or whipped cream. My family didn’t turn up their noses this time.

It was also delicious cold the next morning with a dollop of lemon curd and hot tea.

Panettone pudding with lemon curd