If there is a better way to use up a buttery panettone than by slathering it in orange curd and more butter laced with brandy, and then drowning it in crème anglaise, I can’t imagine what that could be. This is boozy comfort food of the highest order and tastes even better cold.
Slice your panettone and spread one side with orange curd (recipe below), and the other with brandy butter. Leave the crusts on! Tuck them snugly into a greased ovenproof dish and pour over 2 tbsp of golden caster sugar dissolved into 4 tbsp brandy or orange liqueur.
Make a custard by placing a split vanilla pod and the scraped out seeds, 200ml double cream and 650ml of whole milk in a pan and heat gently, without allowing it to boil. Whisk 4 egg yolks, 100g golden caster sugar and 2 tbsp of cornflour in a bowl. Strain the milk and cream mixture and add it very slowly to the eggs, stirring all the time. Return the mixture to the pan and heat gently while stirring, until thickened enough to coat the back of your wooden spoon.
Pour the custard over the panettone and leave it to soak for at least a half hour. Cook at 180/160/Gas 4 for 20 – 25 minutes. Leave to sit for a few minutes to firm up before serving.
For the orange curd:
6 egg yolks
3 oranges – zest and juice
200g caster sugar
70g butter cut into small cubes
Heat the orange juice and zest. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until well combined and add the warm juice very slowly so as not to scramble the eggs. Pour the whole lot back into the pan and stir on a medium heat until the mix begins to thicken. This could take about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and whisk in the butter, one cube at a time. Pour into sterilised jars and seal. This will keep for 3 weeks.
