Skye McAlpine
Perduto is the Italian version of French toast and is an excellent way to use up any leftover or stale panettone you have over the Christmas period. This is the perfect dish to spoil someone with on Christmas morning or serve it as a family breakfast around the Christmas tree. Getting this recipe right is about managing the heat on the pan – too cool and it will be soggy, too hot and it will burn. If you only have a small pan, set your oven to a very low heat: 110˚C/90˚C fan-forced or the lowest setting.
For a French toast recipe, try this brioche French toast. For another recipe with panettone, try this fruit trifle with panettone. Plus, check out our Christmas dessert recipes collection.
Ingredients
Method
Slice the panettone into pieces roughly 2 fingers thick.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon together until well combined.
Dip each panettone slice into the mixture, holding it in there for at least 20 seconds, so it can soak up the custard. Carefully lift the panettone out of the custard and allow any excess liquid to drain off.
Melt a little butter in a large non-stick frying pan and fry half the panettone slices gently over a medium-low heat for 3–5 minutes, until lightly golden, then flip over and cook for a further 3–5 minutes on the second side, until warm all the way though. To check if they’re done, gently press the centre of a slice: if it feels firm, it’s ready; if it feels a little jiggly, keep cooking on a low heat a little longer. Repeat this process with the second half of the slices.
Dust with icing sugar and a sprinkling of salt flakes, if you like, and serve immediately.
This is an edited extract from ‘The Christmas Companion’ by Skye McAlpine, published by Bloomsbury Publishing, $55.
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